


Fireworks in July

by Novaviis



Series: Watercolour [4]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Closeted Character, Dorks in Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Nostalgia, Puppy Love, Slow Build, Teenage Drama, Underage Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-10-11 13:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 44,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10466226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novaviis/pseuds/Novaviis
Summary: Robin and Kid Flash are best friends. They have always been best friends. But now, almost a year after the team formed, things between them are getting - tense. In a whole lot of ways. If there's a chance for something more, then there's a lot of teenage bullshit to get through first. Including: too much junk food, shitty school dances, late night escapades, and bubblegum lip balm.





	1. Mission & Sleepover & Pocky

**Author's Note:**

> First multichapter project in the Watercolour series! This is going to cover how Dick and Wally first get together. No spoiler to those who've read the other works in the series, but they do get together. I've loosely based this around the summer of 2011. So, they're about 14 &16 years old. Being true to the time, this may be the most painfully nostalgic thing I've ever written. 
> 
> I really want this to be nostalgic, though. I want readers to be reminded of when this show first came out, when Birdflash was so popular, and the whole world surrounding that. Grossly nostalgic. I do cheat with some things though, like the FOB song this is partly inspired by, but sue me. 
> 
> On with it.

The moment Wally felt the slight breeze at his side, he knew. He just fucking knew. Not even super speed could have given him enough time or warning to realize his partner was moving before – poof, he was gone. Wally groaned and looked beside him. Sure enough, the space was empty. “Unbe-fucking-lievable.”

_ 'Kid. Robin. Are you in place?' _

Wally gritted his teeth as Kaldur's voice drifted into his head.  _ 'I am, but the Boy Blunder went awal.' _

_ 'Following a lead.' _ Came Robin's reply.

Wally's eyes narrowed down at where the young hero had just been.  _ 'What, no time for a “hey, I'm gonna ditch, you're on your own,”?' _

_ 'Kid. That is enough now.' _

Wally let out a controlled breath through his nose, teeth clenched.  _ 'I'm in place. Can't see anything from here.' _

Not that there was much to see at all. Sat hidden in the bushes outside of Cadmus, he could see the loading bay to his left, and the building stretching out to a sliver of street to his left. Windows staggered up the white stucco walls, still tinted with smears of grey smoke from the fire almost a year before. This, apparently, was the entrance a burglar had used only an hour before to break into the laboratory.

The team had been sent to look into it. Told to consider it an 'anniversary' mission, considering this was where they started out. Wally found it a little pointless. Yeah, someone broke in and that could open up a whole host of issues with the tech they had in there, but he didn't see the purpose in doing a stakeout when the crime had already been committed. Grumbling under his breath, Wally shifted in his crouch to keep his legs from falling asleep. The movement, however, pushed a stray tree branch in his face. He sputtered, pushing the offending leaves away.  _ 'I am sooo gonna kill Robin.' _

_ 'Dude, I can hear you.' _

_ 'I know.' _

_ 'Focus.' _ Kaldur's patience was wearing thin. Even in the scape of their minds, they could hear his tired and irritated tone.  _ 'The perpetrator stole three unmarked crates from level 28 of the facility. It would appear that there are many secrets still unknown to the staff from Cadmus' past with The Light. Many projects are buried within, and remain off the records. _ '

_ 'I thought that The Light had cleared out Cadmus after the fiasco in December?'  _ Raquel's voice cut in.

_ 'They did,'  _ came Conner's gruff reply.  _ 'But there must have been projects they didn't care about enough to take.' _

Wally rolled his eyes.  _ 'So what you're saying is, there's nothing left of any value here, and we're wasting our time? Sounds perfect.'  _ He could almost hear Kaldur glaring in his direction.

The rest of the team was spread out along the compound. M'gann was overhead with the Bioship, trying to track any signs of the route the thief took to get out from above. Artemis, Raquel, and Kaldur were inside interviewing the staff and investigating the primary levels. With Wally and Robin outside, that left Zatanna and Conner checking out the 'basement'. Their goal, as Batman had detailed, was to find out what was taken, and how the thief managed to get in and out virtually undetected. Really, couldn't have been that difficult, considering three teenagers had managed to do the exact same thing only a year before. That comment had not been appreciated.

_ 'Plan to stop whining any time soon?'  _ Artemis snapped.

Wally huffed and sunk lower into the bushes. Easy for her to say. At least her job had a bit of action. Or any action besides sitting in a bush and getting ditched by your partner. He'd rather be inside looking at inventory lists until his eyes bled than sit out here for much longer.

_ 'I still can't see any signs of an escape route.'  _ M'gann confessed. Wally glanced above his head, just barely able to make out where the sky was distorted and the stars seemed to bend, as the Bioship hovered in camouflage mode.  _ 'None of my scans even show any signs of human touch or disturbance within fifty yards of the compound in the last twenty four hours. Aside from the staff's door, and the signs of entry at Kid Flash's position, I'm not picking up anything.' _

_ 'Nor are we finding any evidence of what the stolen tech was exactly,'  _ said Kaldur.

Zatanna's voice bordered frustration. _ 'And we're coming up empty down here. Hate to say it, but I'm kinda starting to side with Wally on this.' _

_ 'Then we will return to the Cave for now. Perhaps better information could be found from the League's computers.' _

Wally didn't bother holding in a sigh of relief. After all they'd done, and all they'd been through, missions like these always seemed tedious. He knew, logically, that he shouldn't think like that, that it didn't matter how tedious a mission seemed and he should treat all their assignments with the same level of respect – but he didn't. Wally was a man of action. Stakeouts like these drained the life out of him. Pushing himself up to his feet, Wally dusted the dirt off his uniform and stretched until he felt a satisfying pop in his back. He'd lost track of how long he'd been in that  _ damn bush _ but his back was telling him too long.

_ 'We will rendezvous on the rooftop to meet up with the Bioship,'  _ Kaldur spoke again.  _ 'Miss Martian, lower it down. Robin, what is your posi-' _

If Kaldur completed that word, Wally couldn't hear it. He doubted anyone could. With a shock blast rippling through the air, an explosion thundered from one of the outlying buildings of the compound. Wally raised his forearm to cover his face, the fire throwing out heat waves so strong he could feel it from his place on the other side of the grounds. Ash and debris were already falling like black snow.

M'gann was the first to break the silence, her voice edged with panic. ' _ Uh, guys... where's Robin?' _

_ 'Take a wild guess!'  _ Wally replied as he took off running. The closer he got to the fire, the more intense the heat became. Heart in his throat, he braced himself against the scorching heat, preparing to run into the building. It was only when two dark figures came soaring out of a blasted out window on the second story that he skidded to a stop. Propelled by his line, Robin turned himself over in mid air and delivered a strong kick to his attacker. The man, in what Wally could only describe as a ninja suit, went hurdling toward the ground with a hard impact. Stunned only for a moment by his teammate's brutality, he watched as the man picked himself up and – seemed to force his bones back into place by sheer will.

“Superboy! The Water Tower!”

“Got it!”

It took Wally a second to realize that the voices were no longer in his head. He looked up as a shadow soared over him, watching as Conner leapt onto the nearby water tower. Digging his hands into a seam in the steal casing, he ripped it open with a roar, letting the water rush out. Kaldur'ahm then ran out from the main building, water bearers out and tattoos glowing as he redirected the flow of water onto the warehouse. With a great cloud of steam, the majority of the fire was drowned out, but the structure had been compromised. The building began to crumble.

“Peek eht esuoheraw elbats!” Zatanna stood before the decrepit warehouse, hands outstretched. The falling framework stopped in mid air, pausing a moment before the pieces began to fly back up toward the building. As she concentrated on stabilizing, the masked attacker began to rush toward her.

“Zee, behind you!” Wally shouted in warning as he sped across the ground. Grabbing her around the waist, Wally, pulled her out of the way before the man's sword could slice into her back. They went rolling across the ground, Wally taking the brunt of it.

A high pitched whistle broke through the roar of commotion. Wally and Zatanna came to a sliding stop on the gravel, looking up in time to see an emerald arrow burst above the ninja and throw out a weighted net. The net wrapped around his form, dragging him to the ground. It only took a few seconds of struggling for the man to slice his way through with his clawed gloves. Those ropes were reinforced with steel cable. They were  _ not _ easy to cut.

The man turned his attention back to Wally and Zatanna as the two of them regained their footing and stood. He moved – inhuman, like his limbs weren't quite part of his body. Wally gritted his teeth and ran forward to intercept and distract him, giving Zatanna the opportunity to focus on the crumbling building again. Jumping up, Wally used his momentum to strike out with his foot, catching the man on the side of the head. Upon impact, he heard and  _ felt _ the sickening crack of bone as the man's head detached from his spine, hanging limp from his neck.

Wally skidded into a crouch, horror flush through his veins. Even at that speed, neck's weren't supposed to  _ break _ like that, he'd never hurt someone like  _ that _ , oh God, he was going to be sick.

But the man was still standing. Straightening up slowly, he turned toward Wally, and with the same bone crunch, his head just snapped back into place. Wally didn't know what was more sickening now.

The ninja moved to strike, but didn't get the chance. Descending from his rope, Robin planted both feet on the man's chest and kicked him away from his teammate. The man flipped backwards, as Robin did the same and landed beside Wally. “Rocket!” Robin shouted. “Now!”

An orb of blue light formed around their assailant. As it lifted into the air, Rocket came down hovering beside it several feet off the ground. The ninja inside went into a frenzy, clawing and striking at the force field in an attempt to escape. Every hit made the barrier stronger. With the crazed man finally subdued, the Team reassembled around him, watching like they would a caged animal. Wally's attention, however, was not on their captive. Eyes narrowing at Robin, he stalked toward the boy wonder with barely suppressed rage.

“Are you  _ actually _ insane?!” he roared.

Robin's head snapped toward the speedster, face twisted in honest confusion at his anger. “What's your problem?”

“ _ My _ problem?” Wally seethed. “You nearly got yourself killed going off on your own like that!”

Robin squared off with him. “I told you, I had to follow a lead! If I hadn't, we never would have caught him!”

“It's called  _ teamwork _ , Rob, ever heard of it? You're supposed to tell us when you're on to something!”

“Kid,” Kaldur snapped. “Robin. That is  _ enough _ .”

An awkward silence settled over the two young heroes. Wally and Robin glared at each other before ripping their gazes away, neither willing to be the first to move away from the other. Their silence, by default, extended to their teammates, who tried and somewhat failed to look away from the feud.

Zatanna was the first to break it, bringing their attention back to the ninja Raquel currently had enclosed in her force field. The magician frowned. “Is this-"

Robin nodded.

“But why would he come back?” Conner grunted. “I thought he got what he came here for.”

Robin shook head head and stepped forward. “He never left. I realized that when we couldn't find his escape route but we found his entrance just fine.” Glaring through the blue glow of the barrier, Robin's disdain became a smirk, claiming his silent victory.

All at once, the man inside stopped. He stood straight within the orb, entirely still as he stared back at Robin. Then his body seemed to – pull inward, like a vacuum in his core. Robin's demeanor dropped. He stumbled a step back as their captive exploded in a mass of black sludge, coating the inner walls of the barrier.

Raquel blanched. “Oh my God, did he just-”

“No,” M'gann cut in. “Not quite, anyway. I wasn't picking up any conscious thought from him. I don't think he was human – or alive for that matter.”

“Then who or what was that?” Wally sighed, sparing only one glance at Robin.

“Something the League must be informed about,” Kaldur responded. “Robin, did you find what was taken?”

Robin crossed his arms over his chest. “When he found him, he was with another – whatever he is. They were taken something out of the crates. Each of the crates only had what looked like glass jars and the rest was just straw. Our friend here,” Robin gestured to the black sludge that was now oozing to the ground as Raquel dropped her barrier, “saw me and threw down an explosive. The other guy must have gotten away in the confusion.” His shame in the fact was audible in his thick tone.

“So then,” Wally began, “what were in those jars?”

Robin's gaze was tense, even through his mask. “Don't know.”

“Really? Thought you knew everything.”

Kaldur sighed. Even he didn't have the energy to break them up at this point. “At the very least, we have learned something from this. There is a larger force at work here.”

It was all pretty systematic at that point. A sample of the remains of their assailant was taken, they did their best to reverse as much of the damage as they could, and subsequently loaded onto the Bioship for the trip back to Mount Justice. As they began to take their place, Wally paused, staring disdainfully at his own designated seat – right in front of Robin. He turned and made a beeline to steal Artemis' chair on the opposite side of the cockpit, only to have the archer shove him out of the way and take her rightful place. She crossed her arms over her chest as the seat belts morphed around. Artemis jerked her head back toward Wally's seat with a clear message in her glare.  _ Suck it up _ .

Biting back a groan under his breath, Wally resigned and dropped himself down in his chair. He could practically feel Robin's gaze boring into the back of his head. This was going to be a long flight. Doing their best to collectively ignore the tension, easier now that M'gann had disabled their telepathic link, the rest of the team took their seats. Within minutes, they were gliding up over Washington DC and toward home base. They coasted along the shoreline, the Atlantic stretching to one side, and expanses of cities and small beach towns on the other. As night fell, webs of speckled light connected city to city along strings of interstate highways.

It wasn't awkward by any means. The team was tired after that fight, but after they took off, conversation began to pick up again. Zatanna had just gotten back from a trip to visit family in Italy, a bittersweet reunion with her father in the brief time Dr. Fate allowed him to take off the helmet. She'd brought back a cannoli recipe that she wanted to try making for the team. Artemis complained about end of term assignments, M'gann tried to comfort her by offering to help with biology, which triggered a long conversation about how shape shifting required detailed knowledge of the target appearance. The topic then drifted to Amistad, Raquel's son, how he was starting to teeth and it was becoming a nightmare. At that point, Raquel pretty much won any 'tired competitions'.

The absence of Robin and Kid Flash from the conversation was noted, but not too heavy on their minds. A few stolen glances now and then, out of curiosity. The two of them argued, sure. They were best friends, they had their differences, they worked them out, and they moved on. Lately though, things had been getting increasingly – tense between the two. Past just bickering. No one could work out what their deal was.

Only once, halfway through the flight, did Wally turn to look over his shoulder at Robin. The younger hero had his feet kicked up on the console surrounding the cockpit, leaning back in his hair as he scanned through the holo computer on his wrist. Looking at what he had on Cadmus, apparently. Catching that Wally's gaze had lingered a little too long, Robin looked up. Wally's head snapped forward again.

Night had fallen completely by the time they made it back to the Cave. Happy Harbour glowed pleasantly around the bend of the shore as the Bioship flew into the hangar. The water rippled outward as the ship hovered into the loading back, splashing up on the ramp as the doors closed behind it. Landing gracefully on the concrete, the back door lowered, and the team disembarked. Batman was waiting for them when they arrived in the main cavern.

“Report,” he commanded.

Kaldur stepped forward. “Upon arriving at Cadmus, we split into groups to assess the compound...”

And so began the worst part of every mission. They were expected to report, with the necessary detail, exactly what had happened on the mission, what they had learned, accomplished, or gained. All the while, the team was usually tired, roughed up, hungry, and a bit miserable, waiting to be dismissed so they could shower and head home. That, to be fair though, may have just been Wally. He listened, but crossed his arms and couldn't help wishing this debriefing to be over.

“...though we attempted a capture, the thief employed a sort of self destruct. Its body was destroyed, and the stolen goods were, unfortunately, not recovered,” Kaldur finished.

Batman's gaze narrowed down at his protegee. Taking his silent cue, Robin stepped up and handed a vial containing a sample of the black sludge to his mentor. Batman took it and placed the vial into his utility belt. “Your performance was adequate. Hit the showers.”

No one had to be told twice. The team dispersed, dragging themselves off towards their rooms, the showers, and the kitchen. Wally, to the later. He faultered just two steps in, caught up in Robin's lingering gaze. The other hero quickly looked away and headed toward his room. He disappeared around the corner in a frustrated swish of his cape, leaving Wally feeling just a tad lower than dirt. Quick to remind himself  _ why _ he was angry in the first place, Wally turned on his heel and headed to refuel.

He could feel his energy rapidly depleting by the time he made it to the fridge, a drastic drop from the two minutes it took to walk to the kitchen. To be fair to himself, he'd thought it was just going to be a  _ stakeout  _ and hadn't stocked up properly. Grabbing a glass orange juice and half a dozen nutritional bars from the cupboard, he dropped his heavy bones on the nearest chair and started eating. Worst part about his powers – he could go from bouncing off the walls to nearly passing out in ten minutes.

The Cave was quiet now. Down the cavernous halls, he could hear the water running as the team cleaned up, but that was just about it. He could hear the water, the hum of the air ducts, the whir of the electricity, and somehow the silence was louder. So, Wally sat there, stuffing his face with tasteless granola bars, and replayed his blow out at Robin over and over in his head.

He  _ was _ pissed off. He held every right to be, too. Robin didn't go off on his own nearly as much as he used to when they first started out on the team, but the fact that it still happened at all was what got to him. He should have gotten past that already. It was a matter of trust, and teamwork, and – Robin could get himself blown up. That he couldn't get that through his thick skull frustrated and terrified Wally.

Finishing off his snack, Wally finally retired to the shower. They boy's room was empty now. He didn't see another soul on his way there either, and was beginning to think that maybe the rest of the team had already dispersed for the night. That was fine. He wasn't in the mood to talk. Peeling off his uniform, he stepped under the hot spray of water and allowed the steam to melt the tension from his muscles. He stood under the stream for a long time, just letting the water run over his skin in little rivets.

Twenty minutes later found him washed, dried, changed into civvies, and overall a lot calmer than he'd been immediately following the mission. Go figure, part of his mood was just hunger and hygiene. Wally West: Emotional Complexity of a Sim character.

The cave was still quiet when Wally came out. With his backpack strung over his shoulder, he made his way toward the zeta tubes, looking forward to a nice evening of catching up on homework, eating cold leftover, and listening to his parents watch CNN without so much as a hello. As soon as he walked into the main cavern, he was met with Robin leaning against the wall between the tubes. He wore a bored, borderline contemplative expression, as he tossed a soccer ball between his hands.

“Uh, dude?” Wally started tentatively.

Robin's head snapped up. It wasn't easy to sneak up on and startle the boy wonder. He must have really been out of it. “Oh, uh- hey,” he attempted a smile.

Wally slowed his approach. “What are you doing?”

“Yeah, um,” Robin caught the ball, holding it still between both hands, “Batman's got a shift at the Watchtower,” he paused, as if that explained everything. Realizing that he was only speaking in half sentences, Robin cleared his throat and held the ball out. “One on one?”

Wally stared at the soccer ball like it might bite him. “Like you and me?”

Robin's smile slowly became more genuine. “You see any other “ones” around here?”

Making a face at the remark, Wally sighed and let his backpack slip off his shoulder. He kicked it off to the side and rolled up his sleeves. “Usual rules?"

“No speed, no ninja tricks,” Robin confirmed as he joined Wally on the floor. Tucking the ball under one arm, he lifted his head to speak out into the cavern. “Computer. Activate field: Soccer.” As soon as he spoke two holographic nets popped up on either end of the large circle in the centre of the floor. Robin the dropped the ball, stopping it under his foot. “Best out of three?”

“You're on.”

Robin laughed, the sound quiet, stuck in his chest and not quite strong enough to make its way out his mouth. Taking his foot off the ball, he left it in the centre and took several steps back, the same distance that Wally stood from the ball to make it far. Finally, Robin reached up and slipped his sunglasses off. When he looked up, Dick stared back at Wally with blue eyes caught in the glow of the holographic goal posts.

The computer counted down, the numbers 3, 2, 1 projected onto the floor in red until a green 'Go!' flashed up at them. Dick and Wally both ran for the ball, with Wally easily swiping it out from under the other boy's foot. Though they agreed not to use any of their abilities – they both knew that sometimes it was second nature. Just like Dick's agile dive to keep the ball from soaring into his net. With the ball now in his control, Dick tried to take it over to Wally's end. He had to resist the temptation to flip over him when Wally came for the ball, instead opting for a kick from the centre of the field.

“ _ Point. Robin. Kid Flash. Zero. Robin One.” _

Wally glared up at the computer's sensors. “Yeah, yeah, rub it in.” Dick's cocky smirk, as he pushed black hair out of his eyes, either thrilled or infuriated Wally. He hadn't quite decided yet. Either way, he was officially going for the win. Wally picked up the ball from his goal and dropped it in the centre of the circle. Once again, the computer projected the countdown. On Go, he once again managed to get the ball first. That was usually how it went. Before Dick could steal it this time, he turned his back and maneuvered it around him. Not to be outdone, Dick was immediately at his back, trying to block him and sweep the ball out. After a short struggle, Wally managed to spin around Dick and kick the ball right into his holographic net.

“ _ Point. Kid Flash. Kid Flash One. Robin. One.” _

Wally was quick to celebrate his victory, earning him a playful head shove from Dick. “Shut up,” the younger boy laughed as he retrieved the ball. As he placed the ball in the centre once again and backed up, he looked back at Wally  _ again _ , and Wally found himself more than a little distracted. The hesitance and tension that had clouded his friends face earlier were now wiped away with playful competition and what Wally could have sworn was  _ relief _ . The light from below them cast soft shadows and highlights over his face, and as he smirked, just a little breathless – Wally wasn't paying attention. The computer counted down, and Dick got to the ball first.

Shaking himself from his stupor, Wally tried to recover before Dick could win the game and therefore the bragging rights. He ran forward, catching him in an attempted block. It only took about two seconds for their feet to go tangled. The two went crashing down to ground as the ball went skidding off to the other side of the cavern. Wally landed on top of Dick, both of them face down on the ground.

“Air, Kid Clumsy. Kinda need it,” Dick grunted as he squirmed beneath him.

They both groaned, and as Wally pushed himself up on his hands, Dick rolled over, and – they both froze. Wally could feel his face burning, the heat crawling from his neck up to his cheeks. Dick, it would seem, was in a similar state, as his face turned red up to those big ears. They paused for too long, and they both knew it, holding their breath and waiting for  _ something else _ to break them from their trance.

Wally spoke before the words even passed through his mind. “Y-You smell like a girl.”

Dick blinked. “I what?”

Right. Too long. Wally scrambled up, sitting back, his hand already flying up to the back of his neck. “I mean... yeah, dude, you smell like a girl.” Like that artificially scented kind of shower gel with names that didn't describes scents so much as they described obscure yet oddly specific concepts. Like “Moon Light Path”, or “Sweet Pea” or “Cotton Candy Sunset."

Dick quirked a brow back at him as he pushed himself up. “I don't smell like a girl, I smell like me. Sue me, I like it, Mr. Bar-Of-Soap and clinical strength deoderant.” Wally glared and nudged his friend's knee with his foot. Dick only shrugged.

“Never said it was a bad thing,” Wally grumbled under his breath.

They sat in silence for a long time, catching their breaths and waiting for the heat under their skin to subside. Finally, Dick let out a loud and long sigh, flopping back onto the floor. “Computer,” he called, “end game.” The word 'Match” projected onto the ground beneath them. Dick stared up at the ceiling as the glow of the holographs disappeared. Another moment of silence passed. “I'm sorry. About going off without telling you on the mission.”

Wally feared for a moment that the fall might have given him a concussion. “You-”

“It's second nature, y'know? I know that's not how the team works, but- yeah. Hard habit to kick.”

Wally sighed. He almost forgot they were supposed to be mad at each other right now. “I know. I shouldn't have blown up like that. It's just – kinda scary when we don't know where you are or what's happening. Don't need you going all Michael Bay on us,” he said, imitating an explosion to further his point.

Dick rolled over, looking at Wally upside down with a softer smile. “Right. Fair enough.” Was this the end of this argument? Probably not. Would Dick run off on his own during a mission again? Almost definitely. But they could make peace with it for now, and that was all that was really needed.

Wally pushed himself to his feet, extending his hand for Dick. “You said that Bats was on monitor duty at the Watchtower?”

“Yeah,” Dick replied as he took his hand and hauled himself up. “I figured I might as well take my time going home anyway.”

Wally was a little too quick to let go of Dick's hand. He collected his backpack. “It's a Saturday night. Crash at my place? Folks won't care.”

Dick didn't need any time to think about it. “Sure. Just let me text Bruce to let him know where I am.” He didn't expect any protest from his mentor. Bruce generally gave him his freedom, as long as he kept tabs on where he was. Walking over to the far side of the cavern, Dick scooped up his backpack from where he dropped it earlier. “Dorothy's on the way there?”

Wally offered a grin. “Um, duh? You even need to ask?”

Dorothy's was a famous candy shop on the edge of Central City and Keystone, only a few blocks away from where the Zeta Tube closest to Wally's house let out. It had become a sort of tradition with them, even before the team had formed, that they would stop by and pick up provisions whenever they hung out at Wally's. The place was filled with massive bins of cheap candy, with metal scoops that you could use to pile as much into your bags as you wanted. The bags were then weighted and priced. Even if you could find anything in the bins that you wanted, there were rows of any sweet you could imagine. Not difficult to divine why the two teens loved the place so much.

Within seven minutes of walked through the spiral of glowing light in the Cave, Dick and Wally made it from the Zeta Tube and to the famed candy shop. Neon lights flickered and flashed down at them from the windows and roof top, showing off stars, planets, and little UFOs. It was near closing time when they walked in, so there were few people there, and those that were hurried down the aisles to find their prizes and leave.

“I've got chips and soda back at home,” Wally reported. Inventory. Very important.

“Nice,” Dick grinned. It didn't take long before the two of them were lost in the aisles, slowly accumulating their haul. Wally went for the sour belts, red vines, air heads, and nerds (which then sparked a long teasing about cannibalism, the two of them trying to keep their voices down as they laughed and whispered to each other). Dick, on the other hand, ended up at the check out with pop rocks, big foot gummies, one of those bags of shitty premade cotton candy, a box of strawberry Pocky, and a jawbreaker. All in all, pretty good damage.

It was a little remarkable what a soccer game and 45 minutes in a candy store could do to someone's mood.

They walked the rest of the way back to Wally's house, weaving their way through downtown Keystone and into the edges of suburbia. There was never a moment that Dick had to pause to follow Wally, to guess which way they were going. He could have walked the route backwards, the streets almost as familiar as Gotham. The late June twilight brought soft breezes and a comfortable heat. Bags swinging from their hands, they chattered about school grievances and their opinions on Portal 2. Their argument earlier just – melted away in the nighttime warmth.

In what seemed like no time at all, they were climbing up the front porch of Wally's house. The redhead dug around in his keys for his pockets, grumbling about maybe having shoved it in his backpack while Dick snickered beside him. Of course, the moment he managed to fish them out, the door opened with his mother on the other side. “Hey, Mom,” Wally grinned as he stepped inside. “I've brought home a Richard.”

“Hi, Mrs. West,” Dick smiled.

Mrs. West returned the expression. “Hello, Dick. Are you staying over tonight?”

“If that's alright with you,” Dick replied. Wally reached back out onto the porch and latched onto his friend's sleeve, tugging him inside regardless.

Mrs. West laughed easily. “You're always welcome to,” she said before closing the door and turning her attention to her son. “Wally, dare I assume you've already finished your homework?”

Wally cringed. “Uh, dare I promise to get it done tomorrow?” His Mom's look suggested that he'd better. Muttering a string of apologies and vows to do his homework  _ and _ mow the lawn tomorrow, Wally dragged Dick over to the kitchen. There, they gathered their spoils, consisting of a bag of chips and a litre of Dr. Pepper. With that and their candy from Dorothy's, the boys were pretty much set for the night. Hell, they were probably set for several, but it was  _ them _ , and Wally's appetite alone would have all of it devoured by the time they passed into junk food comas.

Halfway up the stairs, Wally stopped abruptly, nearly causing Dick to bump into him. Before he could berate the speedster for it, Wally was leaning over the staircase rails and into the living room. Mr. West was sitting with his back to them, watching the news. “Hey, Dad,” Wally called out to him.

Mr. West craned his neck back for just a moment to appraise his son before turning back to the TV. “Hey, Wally. Dick. How did the mission go today?” he replied over his shoulder.

Wally and Dick exchanged a somewhat awkward glance. “It was fine. Kinda boring.”

“Not enough explosions?” he asked. Though they couldn't see his face, the smile was audible in his voice.

Wally cleared his throat. “Just enough.”

Suddenly just as eager to go upstairs as he had been to stop, Wally grabbed Dick by his hoodie and tugged him up to his bedroom. As soon as the door was shut he sighed, dropping their snacks onto his bed and belly flopping onto the mattress. His room wasn't exactly a disaster, but it wasn't clean either. Neither of them minded. Dick had seen far worse in this room.

“Dude,” Dick grunted, as he plopped down on the other end of the mattress. Wally was jostled by the force through the springs. “You're gonna give me whiplash if you keep doing that.”

Wally rolled over, his expression anything but apologetic. “Sucks,” he grinned. “So, do we wanna go for movies or video games?”

Dick flopped back onto the pillows, pulling his candy bag toward himself. “Too tired to think or move my thumbs. Movie.”

It was only after a debate that lasted half as long as a movie would have and an impromptu sour belt fight that they settled on watching Inception. Wally didn't have a TV in his room, and so they crowded around his laptop screen, his duvet blanket covered in a light dusting of sour sugar, not that either of them minded. What was supposed to be a two and a half hour movie then proceeded to take the entire night to finish, as they paused it whenever their attention drifted with their conversations. YouTube breaks turned into downward spirals of stupid virals, and half an hour of playing Robot Unicorn Attack on repeat. By the time they made it back to the movie, they'd both pretty much forgotten what was happening. Not that they'd been playing much attention in the first place.

It was just after midnight by the time they'd worked through most of their food. Wally reached into one of the plastic bags as leaned over to Dick, asking whether or not what they were seeing was real or in a dream – Dick had somehow followed the logic flawlessly through the movie. As Wally's fingers brushed a small cardboard box, he realized that he had reached for the wrong bag. Curiosity getting the better of him, he pulled out the box of Pocky he'd seen Dick buy at Dorothy's.

“Mind if I steal a stick?” Wally asked, already moving his fingers over the box to the opening.

“Hm?” Dick glanced over to him. “Go ahead. I don't really know what it is, just thought it looked good.”

Wally sat up. “You've never had Pocky?”

Dick quirked a brow. “That's what I just said.”

This was probably the stupid thing he was ever going to have done, but knowing that somehow didn't stop him. “So, you've never played the Pocky Game?”

“And they say  _ I'm _ the detective.” Dick rolled his eyes. “What is it?”

Wally shifted, sitting cross legged next to Dick. Taking the hit, Dick mirrored his position, facing him. Wally then proceeded to open the box and the little bag inside, pulling out a stick-like biscuit covered in pink – something. “Okay, so it's kinda like Chicken, y'know? You play it with another person. Both people have one end of the stick in their mouth, just on their teeth, like this,” Wally put on end in his mouth to demonstrate. “Then both people start eating the stick until their mouths are touching, but the first person to pull away losses.” Even as he explained, though calm and neutral on the outside, he could feel his heart beating irregularly.

Dick's ears were tinted pink. “And what exactly do you win from this?”

Wally shrugged. “Winner gets to eat more of the pocky than the loser.”

Dick stared back at Wally for a long moment, and in that long moment Wally felt like his head might just pop off. He wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting, but he realized that it  _ wasn't _ for Dick to shrug and nod and shift closer to him when he did so. He couldn't really decide if this had been a mistake yet, but Wally didn't give it too much thought before he was flashing his friend a grin and putting the end of the pocky stick into his mouth.

Dick put his teeth around the opposite end, and Wally's brain just shut down. Dick's face was close,  _ really _ close. Close enough to see individual eyelashes and feel his breath on his skin and – holy shit it was getting closer. Startled out of the game, Wally drew back before he even got two bites in.

Dick grinned his victory around his broken end of the treat. “Y'know,” he said after he swallowed, “this stuff isn't so bad. It doesn't really taste like Strawberry, though. More like the  _ idea _ of strawberry. Like if someone who's never tasted a strawberry had someone describe a strawberry to them, and then they made this.”

Wally frowned. “Rematch.”

“My Pocky,” Dick smirked.

“Rematch.”

“Fine.”

Taking the box from where Wally had dropped it into the bed, Dick took out another piece and placed it in his mouth with a challenging grin. Determined not to allow another wound to his pride, Wally sat forward again and took the pink cream coated end. Without any count down or warning, the two of them started nibbling their way toward each other. Wally held his breath, squeezed his eyes shut – and then Dick's face was suddenly gone.

Wally opened his eyes, blinking for a moment before he realized that he'd won. And that he was a little disappointed that he did. Dick was leaning back on his hands, laughing with what Wally could only describe as a nervous quiver in his voice. “Alright, alright, you win,” he said as he brushed his hair out of his face.

“That does make it a tie, though...” Wally trailed off.

Dick seemed to understand what he was getting at. “Well, obviously we can't have that.”

Wally had another piece of pocky in his mouth before Dick had even sat up again. This time, they took breath, a short pause, before nibbling their ways down the stick, inching closer and closer until their noses bumped together. But they kept going. Dick turned his head to the side, and – it was just a friendly competition, right? A joke. Which was why neither of them moved away when there was suddenly no more pocky between them.

Wally's hand twitched. It wanted to move up, to reach for Dick's face, or his waist, somewhere. No time to even complete the signal to his short circuited brain, though. It only lasted one out breath long. Just a fraction of a millisecond, because there were heavy footsteps on the stairs, and they were both pulling away.

Wally's father was opening the door and peering inside before either of them had the chance to chew and swallow. Mr. West stepped in. “Lights out, boys.”

“Right, uh- sure thing, Dad,” Wally choked a bit before replying with a grin. They both knew that 'lights out' meant 'pretend you're sleeping until you pass out at 3am', but it was the formality that counted.

Mr. West nodded, hesitating in the doorway as he looked over at his son's best friend. “Dick, you can sleep in the guest room down the hall if you want.”

“I'm good, thanks. Don't take up much space,” Dick replied. He'd always slept in Wally's room during his countless sleepovers. Sleeping in the guest bedroom, in his mind, just seemed unnecessary.

Mr. West's expression was unreadable. His gaze scanned over Dick, and then his son, and with a grunt and a 'Good Night', he closed the door. Wally stared at the closed door until he couldn't hear his father's retreating footsteps anymore. When he finally had the courage to look back at Dick, he couldn't really think of what to say. His tongue swiped out over his bottom lip, and - “Dude, are you wearing  _ lip balm _ ?”

“Hm?” Dick blinked, evidently a little distracted. “Oh, yeah.” He reached into his jeans pocket, pulling out a little pink tube of bubblegum flavoured Lip Smacker's.

Wally inspected the tube like it might be full of acid. “Why?”

Dick looked Wally dead in the eyes. “Because I'm a Bubblegum Bitch.”

“Seriously,” Wally lightly shoved Dick away.

“Because my lips get dry?” Dick replied. His tone was fading from amusement to honest confusion.

“That's not what I  _ mean, _ ” Wally groaned. “I mean – girly body wash, and lip balm. What does Bruce say?”

Dick laid back, propped up on his elbows. He frowned, brows furrowed but gaze soft. “Why would Bruce say anything?”

Wally wasn't sure how to answer that. He couldn't explain it. He didn't know how. He knew that things like this were wrong, or not normal, just not  _ why _ , a concept that seemed to be completely foreign to his friend. His gaze flickered back to the door, like he was just  _ waiting _ for his Dad to come back. When he looked back to Dick, his expression had changed entirely.

“Dude,” Dick began. “Why does it matter? I just like sweet smelling body washes and lip balm. I don't care if they're made for girls. Why does it have to be more complicated than just that?”

“I... guess it doesn't,” said Wally as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Good.” Dick reached up with a socked foot and nudged Wally back down onto the bed. “Now that we've got that out of the way, I want to finish this movie sometime this century.”

Dick ended up borrowing his pajamas from Wally, a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that were just a little too big, riding low on his hips. Turning the lights off and clearing the bed of their trash, they resumed their movie, leaning back on the pillows against the headboard with the laptop balanced on Wally's lap. Their ratio of distraction to movie watching slowly began to pan out, as they both became too tired to do anything but watch the climax of the film with exhausted interest. Dick was sound asleep, head on Wally's shoulder, long before the credits rolled.

As for Wally – well, he was screwed. He hadn't been able to think of anything but Bubblegum lip balm the whole time, and how he wanted more.

  
  


 


	2. Gel Pens & Chili Fries & Psychology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a bit longer than I had anticipated. Oops.

Yo, Bats say anything about a mission tonight? WW

Nah, he was in China all week, flying in this afternoon. No clue. DG

Damn. So, Canary's gonna rule the roost? WW

Most likely. DG

Meaning it's gonna be a training night. Life is unfaaaaiiiirrrrr. WW

You'd rather go get shot at in the jungle or a few hours? DG

Duh? WW

Dick's teacher began to pace down his row. Quickly sliding his phone under his thigh, he pretended to glance up at the chalkboard before scribbling in his notebook. His heart jumped a bit when he felt the device vibrate against the seat, afraid that the elderly woman would hear it, but she continued on past him without hesitation. Once she was a good distance away, he slipped his phone out again. 

I texted Supes. Apparently it's some Judo grappling shit. His words. WW

Would you be more enthusiastic if we made a wager? DG

Loser after three rounds buys Chili Fries at the pier? WW

You read my mind. DG

It took Dick a moment to realize that it looked like he was grinning down at his crotch like an idiot. Stuffing his phone into his pocket, he sat up and tried to look nonchallant. Didn't really matter anyway. Any students out of the immediate line of sight of their teacher were on their phones too. Just waiting for their release into the weekend.

It was a well rehearsed routine by now. Dick's final class of the day was AP Math. As the bell rang, and the teacher silenced the students' chatter with a “the bell doesn't dismiss you, I do,” Dick was already trying to stealth his books off his desk. It wasn't easy, considering he sat in the front row. Downside to skipping a grade – he was always the shortest in his class. One row back and he couldn't see the chalkboard. Barbara would giggle from behind him as his foot tapped impatiently against the tile, waiting for their teacher to drone on about the two or three more points he'd failed to cover during the period before finally releasing them. Then, with all the grace of a herd of restless elephants, the class would spill out into the halls, with Dick doing his best not to get trampled.

“Dick,” Barbara called out to him, elegantly shoving her way through a trio of football stars without looking back. “Study group tonight at Chochi's Pizza? Betty wants to have one before the Chem test next week because she has a chess tourna-”

“Sorry, Babs,” Dick cut her off with a sheepish grin as he stopped in front of his locker. “I've got prior engagements.” 

Barbara quirked her brow as she leaned against the other side of his locker. “What engagements?”

Dick shot her a cheeky smirk as he pulled his backpack out and slipped it over his shoulder. “The prior kind.”

Barbara did not seem amused. “Richard John-”

“Don't you 'Richard John Grayson' me, Barbara Josephine Gordon,” Dick laughed, taking out his skateboard and shutting his locker door. “I'm all booked up. Tell everyone I said Hi, and tell Betty to quit stealing my pens.”

Though she appeared reluctant to let the matter go, Barbara rolled her eyes. “What, can't afford new ones, Playboy Jr?”

Dick shrugged. “Nah, but she keeps snatching the colourful ones and my notes are getting dull. Besides, it's the principle of the matter.”

They walked together out of the school, steady in the stream of classmates s slowly trickling their way out into the courtyard. Gotham Academy was a prestigious school, and old one, built in the 19th century with gorgeous stone columns lining the courtyard, filled with gardens and tree groves and stunning architecture – but it was also smack dab in the middle of Gotham. So, the high walls topped with barbed wire sort of threw off the aesthetic. 

Once they were feeling significantly less like sardines, Barbara picked up the conversation again. “So, what exactly is this super prior engagement?” she prodded. 

“Sky diving.”

“Dick.”

“Might be invading a ninja palace.”

“Dick.”

“Actually, I think the schedule said space travel, I need to check again.”

“Dick,” Barbara shoved at him. “Y'know, one of these days, I am going to find out what you're up to.”

Dick grinned as they made it to the academy gates, opening up into Gotham South. He dropped his board to the ground. “I don't doubt that, Babs.” And if she did, she would never be able to say he told her a lie. Tossing down his board before she could argue any more, Dick kicked off and started weaving his way down the sidewalk, through the flood of other students on their way home. 

Step One: Be released from class. 

Step Two Point One: Accept Social Invite

Step Two Point Two: Reject Social Invite 

Step Two Point Two B: Avoid Baraba's Interrogation

Every Friday, like clockwork. At the very least, the routine had different variations. Otherwise, it would just get boring, wouldn't it? 

Eventually, the tide of uniformed students gave away, leading on to Step Three (Unconditional). Dick reached up and ruffled his hand through his hair, releasing it from the slicked back style mandatory at school. The few students left going in his direction seemed to have the same idea, as the further they got from the stone walled institution, the levels of disheveledness increased. Hair was messed, buttons undone, ties loosened or taken off all together. 

Before long, Dick found himself cruising further into Gotham South. The city, contrary to popular belief, was not all slums and concrete and gothic monoliths (though all of that was very real and the amount of poverty wasn't something to scoff at). Just like any city, it had suburbs and boroughs, lining from the harbour to the countryside rolling away from the ocean. It was, to the surprise of many, actually quite pleasant. Dick always felt a little protective of the city – aside from the obvious and literal role as protector – when he heard anyone else drone on about what a dangerous warzone it was. Gotham was anything but stagnant. It was growing, evolving, and of all things surprisingly liberal. It was also actually pretty clean once you got out of the downtown core. 

Sneakers hit the pavement, pushing faster and faster until Dick could sail into the suburbs. Most of the houses down this way were new, built amoung a few old farmhouses and villas scattered down the tree canopy'd roads. Dick stopped only to complete Step Four in his Friday afternoon routine, another unconditional item. The suburban streets gave away to little plazas of laundromats, grocers, and corner stores, where Dick popped in to buy a can of Monster. The green kind. Step Five was then to finish it while on his way home, dispensing of the can before he got to the Manor, where otherwise Alfred or Bruce would admonish him on sugary energy drinks not being a proper dietary addition for a young man/vigilante. Which is where trash can at the corner of the park a few miles up the way came in.

It was a science, honestly. 

The trip back to the Manor took about forty five minutes, what would have been a five minute car ride if he let Alfred take him to school in the limo. He did sometimes, but it was a nice day and as much as he enjoyed his after school talks with the butler, he also treasured the alone time his skateboard brought him.

Eventually, the suburbs melted into sparse streets, bled into country roads, faded into wooded lanes broken up by cottages and larger houses. Nothing that could hold a candle to Wayne Manor, but they were impressive nonetheless. Any of the kids from school that lived out this far would have taken a fleet of limos and sports cars home, leaving Dick the lone traveler on the road out that far. 

Disregarding the heartfelt lessons of every “Street Safe Cool Kid” poster in the halls of his school, Dick slipped his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his notifications whenever gravity was doing the work of propelling his skateboard for him. His attention focused on Twitter, catching up on his feed. Artemis had live blogged their History lecture with a series of sarcastic comments and dissatisfied emojis. The rest of it was just clickbait, depressing song lyrics, and people just generally shouting into the void – entertaining nonetheless. Wally had a long and currently ongoing thread with a classmate at Keystone about some school event thing that night, and how he had to bring a date. But to be honest, Dick got distracted by a cat video before he could read the whole thing. 

Dick rounded the corner down toward the private lane that lead to Wayne Manor. The gates opened upon his approach, sensors hidden in the bushes scanning his presence and granting him access. Finally skidding to an easy stop at the front steps, Dick dismounted his board, tucked it under his arm, and headed inside. Before he could even touch the handle, the grand oak doors opened, revealing Alfred Pennyworth on the other side. 

“How were your lessons today, Master Dick?” Alfred asked as Dick kicked off his shoes. 

“Just dandy,” Dick replied. “Bruce home yet?” 

“He will meet you in the Bat Cave later tonight. His flight was delayed coming in from Shanghai.”

“Meaning he's going to be all Jet lagged and gunghoe about patrol tonight,” the young vigilante replied. “Sweet. I'm gonna head to Happy Harbour, Black Canary wants to run sparring exercises.” 

The two of them began their walk away from the front door, after Dick had given Alfred his skateboard and backpack. He still felt awkward at times having someone else clean up after him. Certainly hadn't been the case when he'd been growing up. Dick remembered when he first moved here, he had tried to argue with Alfred that he didn't need him cleaning up after him, to which the Bulter had always replied that if he didn't let him, he'd be out of a job. After a while, Dick just sort of gave in. There was no arguing with Alfred Pennyworth. God help the man who tried. 

“Very well, sir,” Alfred nodded as they made their way toward the nearest entrance to the BatCave, the grandfather clock in the parlour. “Shall I set aside a dinner plate for you?”

“Sure, thanks Alfred,” Dick said as he reached up for the clock face. Using his finger, he pushed the large hand around three times backwards, before positioning the little hand at six, two, then ten. With a mechanical groan, the clock shuddered and moved to the side, revealing a small iron grated elevator. Stepping inside, Dick turned and gave Alfred a two fingered salute. 

Alfred raised a brow, amusement twitching the corners of his lips. “Isn't that a staple gesture of Mr. West's?”

Dick shrugged as he reached for the button panel. “Maybe I've been spending too much time with him.”

Alfred chuckled under his breath ask he began to turn away. “Evidently.”

Dick's brows pulled in confusion as the iron bars began to close in front of him. “Wai- what does that mean? Why are you laughing? Alfred!” But it was too late. The grandfather clock slid back into place, and the elevator began its descent down into the Bat Cave. Left puzzled by the old Butler's comment, Dick tried to shake it off as the elevator opened up again. 

The Bat Cave was hardly the most cheerful place on earth with the limited natural light, dripping stalagmites, and the creepy flutter of wings every so often. However, at this point in his 'career', Dick found it oddly comforting. Making his way out toward the cases where their suits hung. After watching Iron Man a few years ago, Dick had spent hours trying to convince Bruce that they needed one of those robotic systems to put the suits of for them, but he'd been wasting his breath. Still woulda been cool, though. 

Within minutes, he had gone through the memorized motions of putting on his suit, all the buckles, straps, and pieces fastened with practiced ease. Mask slipped on, he glanced himself over in a nearby mirror to make sure everything was in place, and just like that – he wasn't Dick anymore. Well, it was complicated. The others on the team got to have the whole 'true identity' thing with each other but to them he was always just Robin. 

Except for Wally. Even out of costume, he was probably one of the only people he felt he could really be himself around. 

A quick trip through the Zeta Tube on the far end of the Bat Cave later, and Dick found himself stepping out into a different cave – one with an entirely different atmosphere. Standing in the middle of the hollowed out Mount Justice, his friends and teammates stood in a scattered group, talking and stretching while they waited for their mentor.

Dick was assaulted by a blur of yellow before he could get a word out. 

“Dude!” Wally's bright green eyes were inches from Dick's, his grin stretching across his whole face. “What took you so long?” 

Dick rolled his eyes beneath his mask and playfully shoved Wally away. “Took the long way home from school. Besides, what time is it in Keystone? Aren't you still technically supposed to be in class?”

“Half day, nerd,” Wally smirked as he shoved him back. “Get ready to make good on that bet. I like extra cheese on my Chili Fries.” 

Dick's mouth pulled into a slow grin. Even beneath his mask, he knew Wally could recognize the mischievous glint in his expression. “Oh yeah?” Without two seconds' warning, the young acrobat grabbed the speedster by the arm and launched himself onto his back. What followed was a long struggle, filled with laughter and lame insults as Wally tried (and failed spectacularly) to get 'Robin' off his back. 

One throat clearing on the other side of the room had them freezing in an instant. Dick was currently koala'd onto Wally's back, while Wally had his fist in his friend's cape. Black Canary, standing in the center of the circle, had her arms crossed and her brows quirked, but otherwise seemed slightly amused. Artemis covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter from behind their mentor. 

“You boys planning on joining us?” Canary asked.

Wally opened his mouth to reply, only to receive a mouthful of cape for his efforts. Dick stuffed the end of the fabric into his friend's mouth to get him to let go, flipping off his back and overtop of him. He landed on his feet, turning around to face the very flustered speedster. Dick grinned. “So, are we counting that? Because I think that's one point to me.”

Wally glared back at him. “In your dreams, Boy Wonder. Doesn't count until we start sparring.”

“Which I would like to start any time now,” Black Canary reminded them. 

Struggling to hide sheepish grins, the two of them recovered, continuing to elbow at each other as they joined the rest of the team around the Leaguer. Artemis still had that smirk on her face whenever she looked over at them, a look she was now sharing with Raquel. Dick sent them a confused glance back, which only seemed to make it worse. Girls, man. 

“I've been looking over some of the footage of your last missions, in the cases when hand to hand combat was needed. You've all improved greatly, but there is still some work to be done. Particularly in both preventing, and getting out of captive holds,” Canary explained as she rolled up the sleeves of her jacket. “Now, here's what I want for pairs. Conner and Kaldur, M'gann and Zatanna, Artemis and Robin, Raquel and Wa-”

“Wait!” Dick raised his hand in the air, only to realize that wait, he wasn't actually in school. He lowered it awkwardly back to his side, shifting in his stance. “Uh, KF and I made a bet about who could win more rounds. Could we pair up this time?” 

Black Canary placed her hands on her hips, clearly trying not to smile. “It's not a competition.”

“But Chili Fries are on the line,” Wally chimed in.

Glancing between the two boys, Canary seemed to decide that contesting their wager wasn't worth it. “Alright,” she shrugged, “Then Artemis and Raquel, you're pairing up. Everyone spread out.” 

After showing them by demonstration (Conner being the unwilling victim) a few grappling techniques, Canary had the team practice on each other. The point, she reiterated with a side glance to Robin and Kid Flash, was for each pair to complete the maneuvers successfully by the time they were finished. The boys didn't seem to be paying any attention. Proved by the two of them launching at each other the second she said 'Go'. 

While the rest of the team went through the motions of the techniques, practicing on each other and offering tips when they couldn't get a movement quite right, the two boys on the far side of the holographic circle were too busy trying to pin each other down to really pay much attention to the exercise. They did follow the steps to an extent, if only because of the watchful eye of Black Canary piercing them from the middle of the fray. However, they'd only get through a few of the steps before they dissolved into wrestling. 

Fifteen minutes in, and the other pairs were finishing up, already receiving their final tips from Black Canary. Dick idly heard her, over the sound of Wally trying to put him in a headlock, that she'd continue teaching (it'd only been a half hour lesson) but she had a feeling that some of them were a little distracted. Consider it a gift, she'd said. Dick didn't really head anything else, his ear was suddenly covered with Wally's bicep. 

Dick didn't know if it was because this had been going on long enough or because he could feel the tips of his ears burning, but he decided right there and then that he was going to end this, and he was going to win. Even if, to his great enthusiasm, he had to play a little dirty. Using Wally's hold on him, Dick twisted and straightened up so that they were face to face. And very close. Like, really close. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure it it was going to work, but Wally's single moment of hesitation was enough. Grin splitting across his face, Dick managed to break his hold, hoisting himself up, legs around Wally's waist, until they were falling toward the ground. Dick twisted them again at the last moment, pinning Wally to the ground with his hands above his hand, straddling his waist, before either of them could blink. 

Slightly out of breath but basking in his victory, Dick smirked down at his friend. “That's best out of three for me dude. The Chili Fries Victory is mine.” 

Wally's expression had every characteristic of 'Does Not Compute'. His mouth hung open, and Dick could have sworn a red tint was crawling up his neck and into his cheeks. Before he could really assess it, Canary was clearing her throat behind them. 

“Alright,” she mused. “I think that's enough for tonight. Feel free to go over that on your own time. I don't believe Batman's in to give you a mission?” At that, she pointedly looked to Robin, who was still pinning the red head to the floor. 

Dick, realizing his error, scrambled off his friend. “Uh, no, he's off doing...Dark Knight things,” he replied as he dropped onto the floor beside Wally. 

“Typical,” Canary chuckled. “In that case, you're off the hook.” With her dismissal, Black Canary sent one glance over to the two boys still on the floor (as a lot of their teammates kept doing, Dick noticed) and headed toward the Zeta Tube. Their mentor disappeared in a haze of bright light. 

Left to their own devices, M'gann was the first to speak up. “Who wants to watch a movie?” 

Raquel shook her head. “I would, girl, but my Mom's watching Amistad and if we're not getting assigned to anything tonight, I wanna get back before his bedtime,” she replied. 

“Hey,” Artemis smirked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Just bring him along next time.”

Raquel scoffed. “Yeah, I'll just strap him right to my chest, see how he likes backflips, it'll be a blast. Mommy bonding time. Think I'll pass, crazy,” she laughed as she walked over to the blonde. “But while we're on the subject of crazy,” Dick didn't hear the rest of that sentence, as Raquel leaned in to whisper something in Artemis' ear. All he knew was that both girls looked at him and Wally and laughed and this was getting really old. 

The phenomenon didn't ease up for the rest of the afternoon, either. The team dispersed once their training was over with, heading to their rooms to change into civvies. Dick didn't really talk to, much less look at, Wally after that but the feeling was mutual. Retreating to his room, Dick closed the door behind him, hearing the patter of footsteps out in the hall as the team tread past to their own quarters. Dragging himself over to the plain mirror hanging on the wall, Dick slipped his mask off – all he saw in the reflection was an idiot. The concurring theme of the day. 

No use in taking a million years to join everyone in the living room for movie night, thought. That would only look suspicious, and Dick had made a specious talent out of – well, that. Appearing non-suspicious in certain aspects of his personal life. With the same monotonous motions of putting the Robin uniform on, Dick took it off and threw on a pair of jeans and a blue sweater. Returning to the mirror for a second time, Dick put his sunglasses on. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered taking the mask off at all. Stuffing his Robin suit into a duffle bag to take home, he headed out of his room.

When he made it to the living room, the rest of the team had already set up for the movie. It was a little Friday night tradition of theirs. Whenever there was no mission, this is what they did. The whole 'this is not a social club' thing had gone out of the window at that point. Scattered around between the kitchen and the couches, the menu of a Resident Evil DVD was playing on the TV as they slowly got settled. M'gann and Kaldur were bringing snacks in, with Artemis taking up one corner of the couch to do homework, Zatanna and Conner each claiming arm chairs, and Wally on the other side of the couch. Dick didn't really even think about the fact that there were about ten other places across the living room that he could have chosen. He just walked over, dropped his bag, and plopped himself down right next to Wally. In his defense, he did give him a playful shove just for good measure. Like they hadn't been doing that all day. 

Dick just didn't think about it. Just like he didn't think about how, just a quarter of the way into the movie, the shifted so that he was leaning back against Wally's side. Because obviously it was just more comfortable. Wally didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, the red head shifted a bit himself to accommodate him. Kicking his legs out onto the cushions in front of him, Dick reached over to the coffee table for a handful of chips. As he was leaning over, he caught a glimpse of Artemis still working her way through her textbook, making notes on the side. 

It was then that he noticed something just a tad familiar.

“Hey Arty,” Dick whispered over to her. “Where'd you get those gel pens?”

“Hm?” Artemis looked up from her book, taking a moment to crack her neck and stretch her back before looking down at the gel pens scattered around her. “Oh, I borrowed them from my friend Betty at school. Keep forgetting to give them back.”

“You don't say,” Dick struggled to hold back a snicker. Figures. He pointed to a few of the discarded pens. “Y'mind?” 

When Artemis shrugged with a 'Be my Guest' gesture, Dick rolled over a bit, reaching across Wally to grab a handful of pens. Then, without warning or explanation, he pulled Wally's arm over his torso for easy access, pushing his sleeve out of the way. 

“Dude,” Wally glanced down at him, finally tearing his attention away from the movie. “What're you doing?” 

“Quiet,” Conner cut in before Dick could answer. “This is my favourite part.”

“Yeah Wally, quiet,” Dick whispered back as he continued on. Taking up a blue pen, he began to sketch the outline of a little blue bird on Wally's forearm. Wally seemed to catch on at that point. He grabbed a gold pen, took Dick's arm, and drew a lightening bolt on his wrist. This started a bit of a tattooing war, as Wally and Dick traded access to each other's arms to doodle. The battle seemed to come to a halt, though, when Wally wrote his name on Dick's skin. 

“Ooohhh, what's he gonna do,” Wally whispered, right in Dick's ear. Dick had to elbow him just to mask his shiver. 

“Shut up,” Dick whispered back, though not without earning an annoyed glance from Conner. Not about to admit defeat, Dick just wrote 'Robin' on his arm. When Wally only snorted under his breath, Dick craned his head back to reply, “Just be glad I didn't draw the real thing.” 

The two of them had fairly impressive sleeves by the time the movie was finished. Everyone stretched as the credits rolled, M'gann being the first, as she usually was, to check the DVDs for their next movie. 

“Do we have any of the Resident Evil prequels?” Conner asked. 

M'gann scanned through the titles. “No, doesn't look like it. We have a lot of Harry Potter, though.” 

“Ugh, no,” Zatanna groaned. 

The debate for the next flick wet on, but Dick stopped listening. Wally had shifted, jostling him by proximity, as he reached into his back pocket to pull his phone out. The speedster groaned as he scrolled through his notifications. 

Dick frowned. “What's up with you?”

“My friend Kyle,” Wally sighed. “He keeps bugging me to bring a date to the School Dance tonight. It's why we had a half day, an end of the school year thing. I don't even wanna go, those things are always lame.” 

“You're lucky,” Dick commented without really thinking. “My school doesn't do dances, they do 'Social Gatherings' with shit like horderves and speeches.”

Artemis rolled her eyes. “Same,” she replied, only to pause after the word left her lips. Dick pretended not to notice the suspicious glance he sent her. He knew she already suspected that they went to the same school, but he wasn't exactly helping his case. Shit. 

Ignorant to Dick's internal berating, Wall jolted, sitting up straight like he'd been struck by lightening and knocking Dick right onto his lap in the process. “Dude! Why don't you go with me, then?” 

Dick, half in shock, stared up at Wally, suddenly thankful that his sunglasses were masking his wide eyes. “Huh?” he managed to get out. 

“Go to the dance with me! It'll be fun, come one! You can't make me suffer through it by myself.” 

The image of Wally's earlier 'Does Not Compute' expression suddenly came to mind. Probably because Dick realized it was the same expression he was wearing right now. “Um... alright. Yeah, sure, I'll go.”

Wally grinned. All too quickly, he was sliding out from under Dick's head, letting his friend fall back to the warm cushions where he had been sitting. “Sweet! It's about six in Central right now. I've gotta head back and do some chores before I can go, so just meet me at my place at eight, alright?”

Dick could only manage a nod because Wally was giving that trademark salute and – gone. He felt the breeze of the speedster's exit before he could even push himself upright. 

“Well,”Artemis sighed, tossing her textbook aside. “I give up. That's just about as much studying as my brain can take. Someone toss me a coke.” A can was floating her way courtesy of Zatanna within a few seconds. 

Dick cleared his throat, trying to keep up. “What, uh... what were you studying.” 

“Psychology,” Artemis replied as she cracked the can open with a satisfying hiss of released air. 

“Yeah? Sounds interesting.” Dick's voice certainly didn't showcase his enthusiasm. To be honest, he was just talking to drown out the loop of “holy shit, holy shit, holy shit” in his head. 

“I think so,” she said. “I've got a quiz on Chapter 7 on Tuesday. It's about Attraction.” As Artemis spoke, she sipped at her soda and leaned back against the cushions. “There's a really cool section on how people show attraction. Things like eye contact, lack of personal space, looking for dumb excuses just to touch and be close to each other, straight out flirting...” 

“Yeah, yep, okay, well look at the time, gotta go, like right now, G'night guys,” Dick leapt off the couch. He was grabbing his duffle bag and scampering out of the room before anyone could get another word out. Didn't even stop for a breath before he made it to the main cavern. Glancing behind him just to be sure no one was following for an explanation of that outburst, he sighed, wiped his hand over his face, and continued on toward the zeta tubes. They probably didn't need an explanation. Which was good, because Dick didn't want to give one, because...

Because he had a stupid crush on his best friend and he'd probably die if he had to say it out loud. 

Dick punched in the coordinates for the Bat Cave, watching as the zeta beams spun to life before stepping inside the blinding glow. There was a feeling of weightlessness, of holding his breath, before he was stepping out and into the Bat Cave. Just as dark and gloomy as he'd left it. Tossing his bag in the general direction of the lockers, something he knew Bruce would scold him for later on, Dick dragged himself out of the Cave and up to his bedroom. 

This was probably the stupidest thing he'd ever done. That was saying something too, because Dick had done some pretty stupid shit in his life. Taking up mask vigilantism as a hobby just to name one. Still, acknowledging that didn't stop that anxious and excited stutter in his heart beat as he stepped into the shower. Wally didn't mean it like that, Dick knew that, but it was still a dance, and Wally's friend had been bugging him about bringing a date and Wally had asked him. The water cascaded over his face, dripping down from his hair. It was no big deal. Nothing different to when they'd had that sleep over last week. 

But then that started bringing up memories of that half a second when their lips had been touching, and falling asleep on Wally's shoulder, and it was monumentally not helping. Now he was thinking in run on sentences. Perfect. 

Dick tried to take his time in the shower just to calm down, but ended up just rushing through everything. He was too restless to stay in one place. As he was finishing up, however, hand reaching toward the dial, when his eye caught his scented body wash on the shower shelf – the one that Wally had called 'girly'. Well, if he was going to dig himself into this hole, he might as well go all out. He grabbed the bottle, squirting a generous amount into his palm, and lathering it over his body. Maybe he'd get an amusing reaction out of Wally. 

Once out of the shower and dried off, Dick brushed his hair and got changed, opting for black skinny jeans and a dark navy button down shirt. After all of that, he still had an hour to kill before he had to meet Wally at his house. Swiping his phone from where he'd left it on the night stand, he opened it to several new messages from the ginger himself. 

Dude, Kyle told me there's gonna be a band AND a DJ. WW

And a FOOD TRUCK. WW

This might not suck as much as I thought. WW

Heading out into the hall, Dick smiled to himself as he typed out his reply. 

Any chance it's a Chili Fries food truck? DG

Nope. Tacos for days. WW

And that bet was Chili Fries or zilch. Don't you try to mooch off me. WW

It was worth a shot. DG

Eyes glued to his screen as he walked, Dick nearly walked straight into an unimpressed butler. Probably would have too, if Alfred hadn't cleared his throat just a meter away from impact. Dick's head snapped up, expression caught somewhere between embarrassed and amused. “Uh, sorry Alfred.” 

Alfred raised a high brow. “I am assuming you did not get this dressed up for dinner.”

“Dinner! Right, I almost forgot.”

“Your plate is waiting for you at the dinner table. It is still warm, and I suggest you get to it while it still is,” said Alfred. Unspoken rule of the Manor – Alfred detested microwaves and would not reheat anything. “Master Bruce is already seated.” 

Ducking his head, Dick nodded, distracted only for a second as his phone buzzed in his hand.

Alfred, however, noticed everything. “And I'm sure I don't need to remind you that mobiles are not permitted at the table?” 

“No reminding needed,” Dick said as he obediently stuffed his phone in his back pocket. “Thanks, Alfred.” 

“You are very welcome, Master Dick.” 

It was only with that dismissal that Dick dared walk past Alfred, heading straight down the grand staircase and to the dinning room. Bruce, true to Alfred's word, was already sitting at the table and halfway through his meal. Dick took the seat adjacent from him, where his dinner had been set out. “Hey Bruce,” he greeted as he sat down. “How was China?”

“We managed to seal the deal on a new merger with a few partners. So, it was boring,” Bruce replied. The older man took one look at Dick, the fact that his phone was in his pocket rather than his hand, and smirked. “Alfred caught you with your phone? I got in trouble for that ten minutes ago.” 

“Well, we all know who's really the boss in this place,” Dick laughed under his breath as he cut into his chicken breast. It earned a chuckle from Bruce under his breath. Dinner was quiet for the most part. If there was one thing Alfred hated more than phones at the table, it was talking with one's mouth full, and the man had eyes everywhere. Bruce finished his meal first, wiping his face with his napkin before standing up and adjusting his cuffs. 

“We'll head down to the Cave once you're done eating. I want to go over some files before patrol.”

Patrol. Dick cringed, running his hand back through his hair. “Um, about that...” he began, eyes glued to the table once he caught Bruce's questioning gaze. “Do you think I'd, uh... be able to sit this one out? It's just that- Wally invited me to this school dance thing because he didn't want to go alone and...”

“Dick,” Bruce cut him off with a wave of his hand. “It's fine. Just for tonight.” Bruce paused glancing his ward over. “So, has this got anything to do with the fact that Wally's seemed to have defaced your arm?” 

Dick's eyes widened, attention darting down to his forearm. Surely enough, the shower hadn't washed away much of the gel pen graffiti. Wally's name and doodles were faded, but still prominent on his skin. “Th-that's nothing! We were just playing around after training, I forgot it was even there.” 

“Alright,” Bruce put his hands up in surrender. “Have fun. I want you home by midnight.” 

Dick's face fell. “Since when do I have a curfew?!” 

“Since I said so,” was Bruce's only reply as he turned and walked away. 

Dick slumped back in his chair as his mentor walked through the door and around the corner. The way he said it made it sound like...

“...But that's only eleven in Central Time!”

“Midnight, Dick!” 

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was fourty five minutes after that encounter. Dick finished up his dinner and killed time just sitting on the couch in the parlour playing Robot Unicorn Attack on his phone. Anything to keep his mind busy. When the time finally came to head down to the zeta tube, he found that he was almost dreading it. His chest felt so hot he could feel the heat spreading down into his arms, into his stomach. It was just a dance. With Wally. His just best friend. Repeating that wasn't helping, though. 

Taking the elevator down, he found the Cave empty, meaning Bruce had probably already left. At this time of year, it was still light out, meaning he was probably following a lead somewhere first rather than immediately going out on patrol. Dick passed by the Bat Computer, it's massive screens towering over him with a dull blue glow. He wouldn't have looked twice at the monitors if the word “Keystone” hadn't popped out at him. Pausing mid-step, Dick backtracked to the central monitor and glanced over a file Bruce had left up. 

Some recreational drug had apparently popped up out of nowhere around the country. It's effects were similar to a diluted version of Scarecrow's Fear Gas, reformulated for an adrenaline high rather than extreme paranoia, though it was still a side effect. The components didn't match with Scarecrow's formula, however, and the key ingredients had just been bought in bulk by Lex Corp. So far, it had been distributed to major cities in every state, targeting High School and College students. Dick scrolled through the list of documented incidences, finding Keystone, Kansas amoung the affected cities. 

Something to keep in mind. 

Dick glanced down at his phone, cursing under his breath when he realized he'd be late if he didn't leave soon. Turning back toward the zeta tube, Dick stopped again, looking back over his shoulder to the duffle bag he'd abandoned earlier. Quickly crossing the distance, he rooted around in the side pocket until he found what he was looking for. 

Dick stuffed the Bubble Gum lip balm in his back pocket, and headed for Keystone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	3. Dance & Flips & Dont Wanna Be In Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Complete with cheesy lyric inserts. Warning: may throw you back so hard you hit a fuckin' brick wall.

 

Standing on the front porch of Wally's home, Dick's fist hesitated over the door – which was stupid. Dick had been to this house countless times before, knew it just as well as he knew the Manor, felt just as home there too. Why was there suddenly a stutter in his chest and a flush of heat in his throat? Stupid. Shaking his head and letting out a breath, he knocked on the door and stuffed both hands in his back pockets as he waited for someone to answer it. It was only as he was standing there, tapping his foot anxiously, that he realize why this felt so weird.

He never knocked. He usually just walked right in.

Tonight just felt different. Before Dick got the chance to mentally berate himself for his mistake, the door was opening, and the robust shadow of Rudolph West was falling over him. Dick looked up, and for the first time in the years he'd known Wally's family felt what he could only describe as apprehension. “Uh, hey Mr. West!” Dick recovered with a smile. “Is Wally ready?”

“Ready?” grunted Mr. West.

Dick's smile faultered, but he managed to keep it up. “Yeah, he invited me to that school dance tonight. He said to be here at eight, so... here I am.”

Mr. West stood there for a long moment, his large frame seeming to take up the entire doorway. Streams of dim light from the house flooded out onto the porch. Dick was short. He was 14, of course he was, especially in comparison to Wally's six-foot-something father. However, until now, he had never actually felt _small_ in his presence.

“Ruddy, is that Dick? Ruddy! Let him in, honey. What are you doing making him stand out on the porch?” The voice of Wally's mother grew louder and louder as she approached from the kitchen, lightly batting at her husband with her dish towel to move him out of the way.

“Oh- right, sorry 'bout that, Dick. Don't know where my mind is. Come on in, Wally's almost ready to go,” Mr. West seemed to shake himself from his own head, stepping aside without complaint.

Mrs. West beamed down at the young man as he stepped inside, before turning to the staircase. “Wally!” she shouted. “Dick's here, don't keep him waiting!”

“Coming!” the reply came from the second floor, muffled by the walls. There was a great, continuous thud, lasting for only half a second, then a gust of wind and colour. Wally stopped in front of Dick just as he'd done earlier that day at the Cave. One would think Dick would get used to it by now, but tonight more than ever it was jarring him.

“Wally!” Mrs. West admonished as her son became the next victim of her dish towel. “How many times have I told you about running in the house?”

Wally frowned, rubbing the back of his head. “Do you want an actual answer or a rough estimate?” All it took was Mr. West crossing his arms and giving Wally a _look_ for the teen to backpedal. “Sorry. Can we head out?”

Mrs. West raised an arched brow. “Your chores?”

“Done.”

“Homework?”

“Finito.”

Cynical glare morphing into a smile, Mrs. West kissed her son's cheek. “Have fun.”

Mr. West's expression, however, remained tight. “Is it just the two of you going?”

“Well, it's sort of a whole school thing, Dad,” Wally laughed. “No, we're going to hang out with some of my friends.”

“Which friends?”

“Uh,” Wally sighed, struggling not to roll his eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I know Kyle's going, pretty sure he's bringing Ashley. Then – Ryan and Amal, Michaela and Jordan, Mike might come but he's got a family thing so he wasn't sure, but he said he'd bring his girlfriend. Haven't met her.”

Mr. West was quiet for a moment. “Might be awkward if you're the only one there without a date.”

Dick felt a tightening in the back of his throat, but said nothing.

Wally laughed it off. “You kidding, Dad? We'll be the only eligible bachelors there, girls'll be all over us all night.”

Dick swallowed hard.

Mr. West seemed to ease up, reaching out to ruffle his son's hair. “Go get'em,” the man smiled.

With a few last words, a promise to be home at a reasonable hour, and Mrs. West digging around in her purse for a 10 dollar bill to give them “just in case”, the two boys were finally on their way. As they walked down the steps from the porch and onto the pavement, the door shut behind them, the pool of golden light from the house slowly eclipsing and leaving them in the care of the flickering street lamps. Keystone High was just several blocks away. Already, other high school students were trickling out of their own suburban homes and onto the street, all of them flowing in the same direction. The further they got from the West residence, the easier Dick found he could breathe.

Glancing over at his companion, he got a good look at him for the first time. Wally was wearing dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and a burgundy button up covered in – Dick squinted down at the pattern for a moment before laughing and elbowing Wally in the side. “Way to be subtle,” he snickered as he gestured to the little white lightening bolts printed over his shirt. The shirt was rolled up to his elbows, revealing that Wally too had kept his gel-pen tattoo sleeve.

“What can I say?” Wally shrugged with a grin. “I'm a fan.”

“Which explains why you've got Robin themed doodles all over your arm,” Dick rolled his eyes.

“I can be a fan of him too,” Wally replied. “You're one to talk.”

Dick glanced down at his own Kid Flash covered forearm. “Didn't come off in the shower.”

“Sure.”

Dick made a face, until a thought came to him, expressions flashing over his face as he suddenly reached out and grabbed Wally's wrist.

Wally stumbled to a stop. “Dude, what-”

Dick turned Wally's arm over in his hold, scanning over his inner forearm. Where the name 'Robin' had been written in the glittery red pen was now a patch of red skin, ink scrubbed away with the only evidence that it was ever there the bits of glitter still clinging to the skin. “Dick” had been written over it in blue pen. Dick looked up at Wally with a small smile. “You redid it?”

Wally pulled his arm back, suddenly unable to make eye contact. “Well – wasn't going to leave Robin there, I am capable of some discretion.”

“But you didn't know that I was going to leave mine on-”

“So, you _did_ leave it on purpose.”

“So did you!”

The two of them were quiet for a second, after arguing on the sidewalk while scattered hoards of students made their way. They both just ended up laughing, shoving at each other as Wally lead the way to his school. Artemis' words from earlier that evening echoed in his head, “looking for dumb excuses just to touch” on a loop. He clenched and stretched his hand, still able to feel the phantom of his fingers wrapped around Wally's wrist.

Upon arriving at the school, they stood in line to get their coloured wrist bands, standing amoung the hoards of other students. Wally pointed out that half of them went pre-drinking in their parents' garages, obvious from their exuberance, slurred speech, and the faint scent of cheap vodka coolers hanging in the air. When they got to the door, they were given minor trouble from a chaperone who didn't like the fact that the word “Dick” was written on Wally's arm. It took Dick showing the middle aged woman, complete with “let me speak to the manager” haircut his school ID for her to apologize and let them through.

The dance was being held in the school's cafeteria, tables cleared out with the two sets of double doors open on the other end of the massive space to let some air in. It was already warm and humid with the multitude of pre and post pubescent bodies in the room. The cheap decorations put up by the planning committee (balloons, table cloths, and streamers that were already half ripped from the ceiling and hanging down from scotch tape strips) were overpowered by the fog machine and lazer LEDs at the DJ's table on the stage.

Dick took in a deep breath as he stepped in. “Smells like teen spirit,” he smirked.

Wally made a face. “You mean B.O, Cola, and Axe?”

“Isn't that what I said?”

Wally snorted under his breath, emerald gaze scanning the crowd for his school friends. He elbowed Dick and pointed to a group of teens standing in a circle against the wall on the left side of the cafeteria. “There they are! Come on!” he grinned as, without batting an eye, he reached down and grabbed Dick's hand, tugging him across the dance floor.

_Boy, you got my heart beat running away. Beating like a drum and its coming your way._

“Guys!” Wally called out, waving his free hand as they approached.

One of the boys looked up, a blonde buzzcut covered with a snapback, and lit up with recongition. “Hey! Where've ya been?”

“I was on lock down until I cleaned the house, man,” Wally said as he finally let go of Dick's hand. He gestured to his friend. “Guys, this is Dick. Dick, this is Kyle, Ash, Ryan, Amal, Michaela, and Jordan,” Wally pointed to each of them in order.

Ash, a black girl with purple box braids, was the first to step up and greet the new kid. “You're Dick, huh? Wally's mentioned you a few times.”

Jordan rolled her eyes. “Mentioned? Bullshit, he never shuts u-”

“So! Snack table!” Wally interjected. “Where is it?”

“Right behind you, genius,” Ryan, a heavier set boy gestured behind his red headed friend.

Playing it off like he knew that, and worth noting failing miserably, Wally half tripped over himself to go fill up a paper plate with snacks. This, of course, left Dick with a bunch of people he had only met about three seconds ago. Luckily, they didn't seem quite as awkward as Wally.

“Y'know,” Jordan smiled down at him. She had to be a senior or something, because the girl was _tall_. “We were half convinced you didn't actually exist – or at least that Wally didn't know you. Famous friend from half way across the country, sounds kinda far fetched.”

“I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm real. Last time I checked anyway,” Dick shrugged.

“We've had a bet about it for the past three months,” Michaela grinned. “Speaking of which,” she cleared her throat, holding her hand out. With mumbled groans, Jordan, Ryan, and Amal handed her five dollars each.

Dick laughed, his own awkwardness starting to slip away. He felt a bit out of his element here. It was _definitely_ different from Gotham Academy gatherings – thank God, too. He didn't have to worry about sucking up to teachers and the Dean breathing down his neck. Wally returned within a minute with an obscenely overflowing plate of snacks, assorted with chips, cheetos, gummy worms, and every dollar store bulk treat in existence. He was also balancing two plastic cups of Coke.

Wally passed one of the cups to Dick, spilling a little bit over the side of his hand. He wiped it on his jeans. “You win a bit or something, Micki?”

“None of your business, Wally,” Michaela replied as she stuffed the money into the pocket of her jeans.

“Is it my business if we use that money to ditch these losers for a hot date?” Wally grinned.

Michaela, unimpressed, pushed him away. In an attempt to ignore that that happened, Dick took the cup offered to him, swiping a few gummy worms off of Wally's mountain of food.

Wally sputtered a bit at the thievery, but didn't outwardly complain. “Yeah, sure dude, take anything you want. Take my shoes while you're at it.”

Dick stole a cheeto in retaliation.

Wally mock scowled down at his friend. With two fingers freed from his cup, he slipped something out from the bottom of the pile. When he looked up from over the mound, he had a stick of Strawberry Pocky between his teeth, grinning like the Chesire cat. Wally wiggled his eyebrows. “Take it, I dare ya,” he teased.

Dick, smothering down the heat in his chest, simply reached up and plucked the Pocky out of the speedster's mouth, biting it in half with his own grin in retaliation.

_Here we go again, I kinda wanna be more than friends._

As it turns out, school dances were kinda fun. Really lame, but also kinda fun. Wally and his friends kept writing song requests for Never Gonna Give You Up and generally harassing the DJ which was admittedly hilarious. Dick was half surprised that the DJ didn't just take the song to get them to go away. Eventually, they moved on, taking another stop at the snack table. Michaela was getting on Wally's case about eating so much, let alone most of it being junk food, but her words went in one ear and out the other. The other students there weren't _too_ obnoxious. Most groups of friends just kept to themselves.

An hour or so in, Dick was jarred from a conversation with Ryan about Honey Badgers when he realized that Wally had disappeared. The speedster had been standing right next to him the last time he had checked, and – Dick had only caught glances out of the corner of his eye, but whenever he did, the two of them made eye contact and immediately snapped away. It was as he was sneaking a look again to see if Wally was still staring at him that he realized he was gone.

Dick frowned, attention drifting from the conversation to look around himself. “Where'd Wally go?” he asked.

Ryan, noticing for the first time that Wally was gone as well, joined him in the search. “Dunno, he just sort of wandered away. He- wait, I think that's him over there,” he said as he pointed behind the younger teen.

Dick glanced behind him. There was no mistaking that vivid hue of crimson hair, even from behind. Wally was standing over by the drink fountain, leaning against the wall as he chatted up some girl Dick didn't know.

_You got all the right moves in all the right places. So yeah, we're going down._

Dick turned around again. Didn't want to watch. “Sorry, man. You were saying?”

The conversation didn't last much longer after that. A commotion from the center of the dance floor caught the attention of most of the assembly. Dick and Ryan, meeting up with Jordan, Michaela, and Amal, pushed their way into the group to watch. Some hot shot was doing half assed break dancing in the middle of a circle, his movements erratic and eyes blown wild. Dick, while unimpressed, took note of that, and the way his friends on the other side of the circle seemed just a little more pumped up than normal.

“What's going on?” An elbow leaning against his shoulder suddenly brought Dick's attention to Wally at his side, watching the dancing with only a drop more amusement than his companion.

“Shitty dancing,” Dick shrugged.

“Typical,” Wally shook his head.

Dick crossed his arms over his chest, following Wally's gaze as it drifted from the dancing to the girl he'd been talking to. She seemed nice enough, sending Wally a shy smile and tucking her hair behind her ears when they made eye contact. Dick felt his gut churn. “Distracted, dude?”

“Hm?” Wally shook himself from his daze. “Oh yeah, she's in my AP Science class. Almost got her number, I was soooo close.”

Surprisingly, Dick didn't congratulate him. In his head, he knew what this feeling was, but it was _stupid_ , and shit, he was such an idiot for feeling like this, but he felt it. The more he tried to ignore it, the worse it got, and now every time he looked up at Wally his stomach flipped. Maybe, if he was lucky, it was just food poisoning.

Hot Shot McGee placed his hands on the ground and kicked his feet into the air, managing to stay upright in a handstand for a solid few seconds before tumbling back down. The crowd cheered like it was the coolest thing they'd ever seen, his friends howling like maniacs and clapping him on the back. Dick – well, he needed an outlet for some of this frustration. Turning to Wally, he calmly handed him his soda cup with a “watch this” smirk before walking into the centre of the circle.

Dick cleared his throat. Not that it really made much of a distance, he could barely be heard over the bass. His presence did catch the attention of the crowd, though. A scrawny first year with black hair dangling in his face, looking all too confident for his stature. Dick looked Hot Shot McGee directly in the eyes for a long moment. He didn't say a word. Just crouched down not even half a foot and kicked off, completing a backflip and landing on his feet like it was no big deal.

Needless to say, the gathered crowd lost their collective minds, hollering at Hot Shot McGee and cheering for Dick in a chorus of Ooooohhh's. Dick grinned as the other boy tried to brush it off like it wasn't that impressive. That didn't compare to the smile on his face when Wally ran over to him like he _hadn't_ seen backflip a thousand times before. Maybe it was just the sugar rush.

Wally's friends were more than impressed, ruffling his hair and playfully crowding him as the dance circle dispersed. The next song came on.

 _Baby tonight, DJ got us falling in love again_.

Amal grabbed onto the two closest friends, Jordan and Ryan, and began to pull them toward the centre of the dance floor. “Come on, I requested this song!”

Dick and Wally, by proximity, were dragged along with them. Neither of them had done much dancing that night, considering they were at a school _dance_ , but to hell with it. Standing in a crowded space, packed in with countless other sweaty and hormonal teenagers, all moving at different times to seemingly different beats – not that bad. Dick wasn't a dancer but fuck it, this was _fun_ , this was _normal_.

 _So dance, dance, like it's the last, last, night of your life_.

At some point, Michaela burst into laughter and pointed out that Kyle and Ashely were making out in the far corner of the cafeteria, citing that _that_ was apparently where they'd disappeared to all night. They all laughed, and it didn't matter that Dick barely knew these people, because Wally was there and they were all sharing in some strange universal teenage experience. Once of those nights that they'd remember in a few years just because it was so unremarkable, but at the time so thrilling.

The song ended with a bass blow out, the music shifting seemlessly into the next tune.

_You are young, but so am I, and this is wrong but who am I to judge?_

Dick couldn't remember when they'd all sort of paired off. It just happened, and even as he found himself facing Wally he struggled to pinpoint exactly how they ended up here. They were both just singing along to the music at the tops of their lungs, heads raised to the rafters on the ceiling. They were laughing together. Wally had Dick's complete and full attention, eyes almost ethereally green, freckles flashing with every pass of the lazer lights.

 _You won't be seventeen forever, and we can get away with this tonight_.

It was the fog machine that was making it difficult to breathe. It was the crowded bodies in the cafeteria like a can of sardines. It was the different perfumes and body sprays and body odors assaulting his nose. It was the heat. It was the strobe lights that were disorienting him, dozens of colours piercing through the fog and flashing onto their faces. It was anything but how close Wally suddenly was that was making Dick's heart beat so hard.

_Don't even talk about the consequence because you're the only thing that's making any sense to me._

Wally was moving closer, and Dick didn't realize that he was walking backwards until his back hit one of the white pillars stretching up to the ceiling. The breath was knocked right out of his lungs and he struggled to get it back. Wally's chest was moving fast, they were so close Dick could feel his breath on his face. They were still dancing – kind of. Stepping to the beat of the music, just sort of swaying because they were too focused on each other to really care.

_I feel so untouched, and I want you so much that I just can't resist you. It's hard enough to say that I miss you._

Then Wally's hands were on Dick's hips. Tentative at first, the touch light and hesitant until Dick's hand came up to rest against Wally's neck. Unsure, but becoming more and more daring, their foreheads came together, Wally ducking down and Dick's hand slipping from his neck and into his hair. Still swaying. Their chests pressed up against each other, Wally trying to get closer even as Dick was caught between him and the wall at his back. Their noses brushed, mouths open and waiting. Dick breathed, tilting his head up just slightly, just enough that their lips barely even touched before moving away. But Wally's mouth followed with the same bare contact. Dick could have sworn he felt the tip of his tongue against his bottom lip.

 _Need you so much, somehow. I can't forget you, been going crazy from the moment I met you_.

The song ended, and it was like a spell broke. Both seeming to realize what they were doing, slowly dropped their hands, catching their breath. Dick barely had the chance to look up again before Wally was pulling away entirely and disappearing into the crowd, pushing his way towards the bathroom. Dick was left there, pressed up against the pillar, feeling a bit like he was coming out of a coma. The lights and the music were suddenly overwhelming, and he felt stranded. Dick swallowed, debating following Wally to the bathroom. It was as his eyes were scanning the crowd, however, that he caught sight of Hot Shot McGee and his crew.

There were four of them, seeming to argue about something before they looked around to make sure no one was looking. Hot Shot took a small object from one of the others, a tin container barely the size of his palm. He twisted a cap off, poured something into his hand, and shoved whatever it was into his mouth. A moment of talking followed before it seemed to escalate again, heated and shouting at each other over the music. Dick couldn't hear what they were saying even if he strained, but with what he'd seen through the crowd, he had a pretty good idea what was going on.

Fuck it. If Wally was going to keep ditching him, he may as well do _something_ productive.

The four students decided to take their disagreement outside. Dick slipped out, inconspicuously following them toward the open double doors on the other end of the cafeteria. Pressing himself up against the wall, he gave himself a minute before following them out so it wouldn't seem suspicious. Unfamiliar with Wally's school, as soon as he was outside, he looked for somewhere to hide. (Fuck, how hot had it been in there? Walking outside felt like stepping into the Arctic).

From what he could hear, they had gone around the corner of the building. The high school itself sat between the suburbs and a stretch of corn fields rolling out to the next small town outside Central City. Dick, glancing around to be sure no one would see, took a running start at the brick wall, managing to push himself up high enough that he could grab onto the frame of a classroom window on the second floor. Using the window below him as a foothold, Dick began to climb.

Despite his current self appointed mission, Dick took a moment just to breathe. The rooftop was isolated, quiet, but he could feel the vibrations of the bass through his feet. It took every ounce of impulse control that he had not to scream his lungs out. Dick clenched his teeth, dug his fingers into his hair, pulled at his scalp just to feel something other than the lingering ghosts of Wally's hands and chest and lips.

The argument from down below was getting more intense. It was just about the only thing that could snap Dick back to the matter at hand. He just didn't want to think about Wally right now. For five fucking minutes, he needed to forget that ever happened. Creeping toward the other end of the building, Dick lowered himself onto this stomach and peered over the edge of the roof. The four teenagers were standing in the basketball court, in the halo of light from the single lamp bent over them.

“I told you, cash first and then we'll talk about it,” one of the young men grunted.

“Bull _shit_ I'm paying now. How the fuck am I supposed to know you won't bail on me?”

“Not how it works.”

“Do you think I give a fuck how it works? I gave you the money, let me see the rest of it.”

“Ain't got no more. You make good on your end of the deal.”

That was really all Dick needed to hear. He didn't believe in coincidences, Bruce taught him better than that. The signs of adrenaline high that Hot Shot McGee had been exhibiting earlier were just as described in the file he'd read on the Bat Computer earlier. This was more than a bunch of dumb High School Seniors doing bath salts. This was something a lot bigger.

Pushing away from the edge of the roof, Dick sat up and shed his blue button down. The lights had been dim inside, too much flashing, and the boys were too high to remember his face, but Dick wasn't going to take the chance of being recognized. Left in the black t-shirt he'd been wearing underneath, Dick stood and slipped out the pair of sunglasses he'd kept in his back pocket. It wasn't exactly his cape and domino mask, but he made do with what he had.

With another running start, Dick launched himself off the rooftop. With instinctual ease, Dick caught the bar of the lamp post hanging over the court, flipping himself around twice before dropping down in a crouch in the centre of the ring. The boys staggered back in shock as Dick slowly rose up to his feet.

“Listen,” Dick growled. “I've had a _really_ weird night. Give me a break. Leave whatever you've got in those tins with me, and I'll let you go. Deal?”

In a fit of panic at being caught, Hot Shot McGee took a swing at the intruder. Dick effortlessly side stepped him, kneed him in the stomach, caught his arm and flipped him onto his back all in one movement.

“I'm guessing that's a No Deal.”

Four drug dealing teenagers were nothing after spending years fighting against Gotham's most dangerous criminals. That being said though, they were on adrenaline highs, so they didn't exactly take their beating and lie down. They were persistent, but that was fine. Dick needed to let some steam off anyway.

Because they were so _close_

One guy on Dick's right tried to jump onto his back. Dick pulled off the same backflip as he did at the dance, flipped over him, planting his feet on the boy's back and kicking off, sending him skidding face first into the pavement.

Because Wally was his teammate, and this was dangerous.

The other two didn't take turns to attack. Sound thinking, it was surprising how many thugs did that. They tried to come at him from both sides. Dick jumped at the first one, hands planted on his shoulders. He twisted his body up, thighs closing around his torso. Dick pulled back, spinning them toward the ground. Dick's hands braced on the concrete as he continued to twist his body, sending one boy barreling straight into the other.

Because Wally was his best friend and he wanted _more_.

Dick was distracted. As he rolled back up to his feet, Hot Shot McGee had recovered enough to land a formless haymaker, fist catching Dick across the cheek. Dick stopped, reaching up to his cheek. He slowly lifted his head, glaring at the boy through his shades. Hot Shot seemed to realize, in that moment, just how badly he had fucked up. Dick round house kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him back down to the pavement. As the three other boys recovered, failing to learn from their companion's mistakes, they tried to do the same. Without breaking momentum from the first kick, Dick pivoted, pushed off the ground, kicked one boy in the face, flipped off the other's shoulders with a fistful of his sweater in his hands. He landed, pulling his grapple on him and throwing him over his back, straight into the last.

Because even after all of that, Dick was still unsure, and it terrified him.

Standing in the middle of a group of half conscious, groaning teenagers, Dick fought to catch his breath for the nth time that night. He felt like he was coming off his own sort of adrenaline high. Spotting the small tin containing on the ground, Dick walked over and plucked it off the ground. When one of the chaperones inevitably found them, they'd assume they all just got in a fight with each other. No one would believe that some crazy ninja kid jumped off the roof and beat them up. Dick had other concerns. Inspecting the tin for a moment, Dick stuffed it into his pocket and slipped his glasses off.

“Dick, what the fuck are you doing?”

Dick stopped cold. For all the heat he'd been feeling that night, suddenly that voice was like a bucket of ice water thrown on his back. Dick turned around to find Wally standing in the doorway of the cafeteria. His hair was a bit damp, along with a few water stains on his shirt; like he'd been splashing water on his face.

The young vigilante pocketed his sunglasses. “I saw them dealing drugs inside. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just stand by, you know that. Besides, this isn't some recreational street drug, it's got some connection to Scarecrow and Lex Corp, I read about it before I ca-”

“I don't care.” Wally pushed off the door frame, walking out toward his friend. He scowled, running his hand back through his hair as he looked over the damage. “Fuck, Dick I don't _care_. Did you seriously only come tonight to bust a drug deal?”

“What?” Dick seethed as he walked forward to meet him. “I- no, I came because you asked me to.”

Wally rolled his eyes. “And what, you just thought you'd come beat the shit out of a couple douchebags for rogue drugs for fun while you were at it? Do you _ever_ take a fucking break?”

Dick's jaw tightened. “Sorry, maybe I was just getting bored of you ditching me every five minutes to go hit on the first pretty girl you saw!”

That seemed to strike a sensitive cord with the speedster. “What the hell is your problem? I'm being a teenager, Dick. I'm trying to be fucking _normal_ for one night, since you don't know what that means. I'm _normal_ , I don't run off and ditch my friends to bust drug deals, I don't wear chick's body wash and lip balm, I don't dance all over my best friend like _that_!”he shouted, gesturing wildly toward the high school

“I-,” Dick panicked. He could feel it, like mercury injected into his veins. His arms and legs felt weak, his blood buzzing, his lungs caving in. He'd misinterpreted, he'd read everything that happened inside wrong, _this_ was wrong. Dick's mouth opened and closed with no sound coming out as he tried to speak. “I only did that so no one would notice I was looking for the dealer!”

Wally stopped cold. His eyes changed, flashing from anger, to shock, to something Dick didn't dare read, and finally to fury. All within the space of a second. “So you were just using me?”

That was final straw. Dick shouted in frustration, head bared up to the sky before he ran his hands back through his hair, just trying to keep from losing his mind. “Fuck, Wally! First you're mad that I danced with you because I wanted to, now you're mad that I said I didn't. I don't- I just- fuck,  _w_ _hat do you want from me?!_ ”

The question brought their entire world to a hault. The thrum of the bass continued to vibrate through the pavement, but the music was muffled by the walls of the high school. It wasn't enough to drown out the pervasive silence of the Kansas night. Cicadas and crickets made up a chorus in the trees and the corn field behind them but somehow, with all of that noise, the night was quiet. Wally suddenly looked scared, his turn now to search for an answer.

Dick blinked, and Wally was gone. The breeze of his departure came after. Faced with an empty space where Wally had been, Dick turned in circles, trying to see where he'd disappeared. Anxiety seizing his chest, Dick ran inside the cafeteria. Maybe he'd come inside to get away? Dick knew it was futile the moment he stepped inside, swept up in the crowd of oblivious dancers. The heat and humidity hit him like a brick wall. Between the fog, and the lights, and the sea of moving bodies, Dick suddenly felt claustrophobic. In the crowd, he felt completely alone.

_Everybody, put up your hands. Say I don't wanna be in love. I don't wanna be in love._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Dick went home. Unfamiliar with this part of Keystone, he opened up the map on his phone and had to navigate his way into the city. He took the same Zeta Tube that he had taken to get there, just down the street from Dorothy's Candy Shoppe. As he walked, his hand held his phone so tightly he thought he might crack the screen, just waiting for it to buzz. He didn't know what he expected, to be honest. Maybe a text from Wally telling him to come back, maybe an apology, more likely a long and angry paragraph telling him off. He got nothing. Somehow, that hurt more.

The Zeta Tube took him right back to the Cave. Bruce was standing at the Bat Computer, eyes scanning the monitor. He was in his suit, but the cowl was pushed back and hanging over his cape. His gloves had been set down over the control panel. He obviously hadn't left for patrol yet. The older man looked up when the zeta tube announced his ward's arrival, frowning in slight confusion but otherwise unsuspicious. “You're back early, Dick,” he commented as he glanced back to the monitor. “There's still time to get suited up. Did you still want to...” Bruce trailed off when Dick kept walking without acknowledging him. Through his reflection in the mirror, Bruce caught the discoloration of bruised skin on Dick's cheek. Bruce turned from the monitor. A bruised cheek was hardly uncommon with them, but out of the context of Robin, Bruce had reason for concern. “Dick what happe-”

Before he could finish, Dick fished a small tin out of his back pocket and threw it to his mentor with more force than strictly necessary. Bruce caught it with ease, scowling between the tin and the retreating form of his ward.

“Don't want to talk about it,” Dick grumbled through clenched teeth as he stormed out of the Cave and toward the elevator.

Dick didn't stop. Not to say goodnight to Alfred, not to get his customary late night snack from the kitchen. He marched straight from the parlour, through the massive halls of the manor, and up to his bedroom. Slamming the door shut behind him, Dick went into his washroom. He turned the faucet on to the hottest setting, wetting a cloth along with a bar of soap. Then, he began to scrub. Every gell pen marking, design, word, and symbol. He wanted it all _off._ The colours began to run down his fore arm and into the sink, pooling at the bottom before slipping down the drain in a dull rainbow. Dick scrubbed and scrubbed until his skin was red and raw, until it burned, and then he kept going until a knock on his door from Bruce snapped him out of it. Dick shut the faucet off, bracing himself over the sink as he breathed deeply to try to calm down.

He didn't hear what Bruce said, but he didn't need to. The inflection in his voice was enough. “It's fine,” Dick called through his bedroom door. Despite his best efforts, his voice was uneven, weak, betraying his emotions. “I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it.”

Bruce seemed to get the hint. He'd never really been one to pry anyway (because if he really wanted to know something he'd just find it out on his own). Dick waited until he heard the footsteps retreat down the hall before turning the faucet on again. This time cold. He let the water run over his irritated skin, hissing at the sting as he tried to at least numb his overexerted scrubbing. There was no trace of Wally left on him. Not physically, anyway. Some naive part of Dick had hoped that if he washed the gel pen off, he wouldn't feel the hands on his hips and the closeness of their bodies anymore. No such luck.

Dick found himself a bit like a zombie after that. He changed into a pair of sweat pants and a fresh t-shirt. He crawled into bed. He checked his phone one last time. And then he turned his bedside lamp off and lied there in the dark. He wasn't going to be able to sleep, even as exhausted seeped heavily into his weary bones. He could still feel the pulse of the music in his heartbeat. The manor was too quiet. His sheets were cool and crisp, the window open and allowing a breeze to roll through and play through his curtains. Still, his ears were ringing, some part of him still able to hear the dim roar of voices inside the crowded cafeteria.

He wondered if Wally was feeling the same. He tried to tell himself he didn't care.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought the dance was going to end well? It's like you don't know me at all. 
> 
> Kudos are great, Comments make me write faster ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ


	4. Targets & Falls & Midnight Calls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lesbians are always right.

The following three weeks were hell. Full team missions were suspended while those who were in school went through exams. It was a welcome distraction. Dick buried himself in school work. He went from class, to study groups with friends, straight home for patrol, spending countless midnight hours working his frustrations out on purse snatchers and bank robbers, to sitting under the flickering florescent bulbs of his desk lamp studying some more, and finally to sleep. Rinse and repeat.

To be honest, Dick was over it. Well, not entirely, he wasn't over it in the sense that he had let it go, or that anything had changed. There was too much left unresolved, and it fucking hurt. Dick was over it in the sense that it was in the past now. He couldn't stay furious for three weeks straight. What he could do, however, was stay tense, moody and anxious. He could be a teenager about it.

Hence needing distractions so desperately. Dick didn't think he'd ever in his life be so thankful for exam season. It meant that he was constantly busy. Usually during this time of year it would be the same case, but he would find himself longing for just a few hours of down time to play some video games and eat junk food with his best friend. Now he was trying to fill those few quiet hours with some kind of task so he wouldn't have to think about it.

He did go on two missions with the team. Once with just Conner to check out a minor security breech at the Wayne Industries warehouse in Metropolis, and another with Raquel and M'gann to stop a staged terrorist instigation in Tapei. Other teammates continued to work on more low key cases like those. Oddly enough, he and Wally were never placed on the same mission. Dick hadn't told Bruce exactly what had happened, but apparently he had shown enough. He was thankful, if not just a little annoyed. They had their personal issues, but he and Wally were capable of keeping it professional when on a mission. They weren't _children_.

Which is, of course, why when exams were over and the team was called to Mount Justice, Dick felt a little like running himself into a wood chipper instead. Dick talked himself through it as he was getting ready in the Bat Cave. Wally was just as much a part of the team as he was, and they were both there to stay. So, they would have to either work it out, or just learn to work with each other and just – not be best friends any more. Dick knew it was melodramatic but after _that_ he couldn't see much going back to the way they were before. There was just too _much_. Could they be friends again? Absolutely. Or – Dick hoped. He didn't want to lose him in any capacitiy and he _really_ needed to stop thinking so much.

His head was a mess. Part of him said that maybe he should sit this one out until he could get himself sorted. However, the other part of him was either a) adamant that he could work through it just fine, b) too prideful, c) too stupid, or d) all of the above.

Dick took in a deep breath, letting the frigid air of the cave fill the cavity of his chest in the naive hope that it would numb any feeling. He was going to be late, and Bruce would never let him hear the end of it. With a low groan, he ran his hand back through his mess of black hair and stepped through the zeta tube. Dick almost dreaded the moment that the feeling of weightlessness would end. Inevitably, because of physics and stuff, it did. Dick stepped out into the Cave. His teammates were already gathered under the holocomputer, the massive ring in the centre of the room throbbing in a light glow. He betrayed nothing. None of the others knew about his blow out with Wally (unless he told them, which would become a whole different problem). In any case, they didn't need to know. No one's damn business.

Dick walked toward them. Wally was talking to Artemis while she stretched her hamstring, sitting on the ground with one leg out in front of her, bent over with the grace of a prima ballerina. Wally was doing a half assed quadricep stretch standing next to her, barely staying balanced. He half stumbled when he saw Robin enter. Dick firmly took his place on the furthest side of the group next to Raquel.

“Any clue where we're going tonight?” the older teen asked, hands on her hips.

Dick shrugged. “Not a clue. Bats has a few different cases he's mentioned needing more intel on, if I had to guess, it was one of those.”

Raquel frowned. “Was hoping for a little more action than that. I'm goin' stir crazy. Feels like it's been forever since we've been out on the field.”

“Didn't you just graduate?” Conner crossed his arms over his chest. “Would've thought you'd be looking forward to some down time.”

“Uh, no,” Raquel poked him in the arm with a smirk. “Exams were a breeze. Spending every other free moment watching Little Einsteins for the past month? Not so much.”

Sharp footsteps echoed from the other side of the cave, and all conversation hushed. Batman approached, same commanding presence as always. He gave a nod of greeting to the team before turning and activating the keypad on the holocomputer. With a few swipes of his gloved fingers, images, stats, and maps appeared in the light field. Once everything he needed was in place, Batman turned to the team.

“In recent months, a new recreational street drug has turned up in across the country. The first cases were recorded in seventeen different states, with no origin or trail of its spreading. The make up includes a compound key to the Scarecrow's Fear Gas in a diluted form. The effect is a heightened adrenaline release. It has been popular across secondary and post secondary schools. Thanks to an obtained sample of the drug, we have been able to break the ingredients down completely. Our earlier suspicions of Lex Corp's involvement due to bulk orders of the key ingredients have been confirmed. The next shipment is due to arrive in Metropolis tonight.”

Batman turned his attention to the images, waving his hand to bring up a series of CCTV camera images. From their view, nothing appeared out of the ordinary, aside from the heightened security. Trucks and fork lifts moved about the screens, which armed guards escorted them in and out of the compound. “Lex Luthor is a well known rogue within the league, but aside from unpopular public opinion, he has so far been legally untouchable,” Dick could hear the faint tinge of anger in Bruce's voice as he spoke. For a rich guy, he really hated rich guys. “For this reason, we cannot have any traceable connection to the league that Luthor could use against us. This is a highly covert operation. Be that as it may,” Batman turned from the team, dismissing the images and leaving the blue glow to fade out. The team froze, confusion painting every face. Batman spoke as he walked from the room. “This is a potentially lethal drug targeted specifically at teenagers. Destroy it.”

“I am sorry, Batman. I do not understand,” Kaldur stepped up. “I thought you meant for us to remain unseen.”

“That is what I meant,” Batman replied without missing a beat. “You may have to be discreet... but an accidental fire doesn't have to be.” The Dark Knight disappeared down a far hall without turning back.

The team was left in shocked silence. Getting permission to destroy things was a rare occasion. Maybe Batman had just realized that if most of their missions were going to end in explosions, they may as well take advantage of that. Regardless, the eight of them eagerly made their way to the hangar, where the Bioship morphed into its aerodynamic form.

As they approached, Wally threw his arm around Raquel's shoulder with a mischievous grin stretching over his face. “Hey Raquel, you know what we're doing right?”

Raquel shot him a look. “About to go blow shit up?”

“No, no, not what I meant. Raquel,” Wally gestured to the spacecraft, “we're going on a trip... in our favourite rocket ship.”

Raquel instantly recoiled and shoved him away. “I _will_ kill you, West.”

Wally laughed as he stumbled away, regaining his footing with no remorse in his smile. Hands clasped behind his back, he began whistling the Little Einsteins theme as he boarded the bioship. Dick had been walking right behind them and, without thinking anything of it, chuckled at the interaction. Wally paused midstep up the ramp and looked back over his shoulder. Dick was already looking away the moment he stopped moving, but he could feel Wally's gaze boring into his head.

They took their seats. When Dick and Wally made a point of sitting on opposite sides of the cabin, it didn't go unnoticed by the remainder of the team. Dick didn't need the telepathic link to feel that rising tension in the air. It was like the last Cadmus mission all over again. Seat belts morphed over their bodies and clicked into place as the cabin lit up in a bio luminescent glow. A holographic screen formed in front of M'gann at the helm. “Batman's coordinates are locked in,” she reported as the bioship lifted off the ground. The bay doors opened, water rippling beneath them as the ship pushed through and out into the open air. Mount Justice shrunk behind them, the lights of Happy Harbour disappearing into the mist of the Atlantic. The ship banked over the mainland before finally heading south toward Metropolis.

It wasn't a long trip. Maybe fourty five minutes in the air, to be entirely honesty. It felt like hours. Dick spent most of the time on his holocomp, scanning the files he'd downloaded from the Batcomputer. After only twenty minutes however, he was just scrolling through and pretending to read. He had the file memorized by now, but would rather fake it than deal with Wally's silence.

A foot nudging his brought Dick out of his mindless staring. Dick looked up from his wrist, the holocomp fading as he caught Artemis' knowing glower. So, maybe he wasn't being as convincing as he gave himself credit for. She gave him a shrug, her eyes empathetic and curious despite her kick happy foot. Dick only shook his head. He wasn't getting into it. Artemis leaned back in her seat, focus drifting away from the boy wonder. She'd turned her seat to face the others, and so the slight movements to get Dick's attention went unnoticed by the rest of the team. Dick tuned into the conversation happening around him.

“Heard that Green Arrow cooks up a mean burger,” Zatanna commented from the other side of the cabin.

Artemis rolled her eyes. “Please, that guy's probably never cooked a day in his life. You're thinking of Green Lantern.”

Conner frowned. “Which one?”

“Still,” M'gann cut in, “a Fourth of July party with the Justice League? It's bound to be interesting at the very least.”

“Hopefully better than last year's attempt,” Kaldur responded with a fond smile. With that, he pushed up out of his chair and strode across the cabin to look out the window. Metropolis was rising up from the coast below them. “Alright, back to business,” he said as he turned back to the team. “We will disembark two miles from the facility. Luthor's warehouse is approximately ten miles from the city, located in a dense forest. Artemis and Robin, after disabling the camera system, you will scout ahead for the packages. Once you have them in sight, report the coordinates back. Kid Flash, once given the location, you will run in, take what evidence you can, and then plant a small detonator. M'gann, you will then go into the base in disguise, wherever the packages are being unloaded, and pull the fire alarm. We need civilians out of the vicinity. If they do not respond immediately, Zatanna, I want you to employ your magic to convince them otherwise. Raquel, you will plant the larger explosion once given the clear. Superboy and I will be back up on either side of the facility.”

“Understood,” Dick said as he pushed himself up. They weren't at the drop point just yet, but Dick was already pulling down a line and clipping it to his utility belt. He pretended to ignore the side glance Artemis shot at Zatanna before shrugging and standing to join him. They weren't too far away but apparently his eagerness to get off the ship was obvious.

Dick tuned out everything. They came to a hovering stop over the drop point, just barely inside the grounds surrounding the facility, with the bioship in camouflage mode. M'gann gave them their warning, the floor dropped out, and he and Artemis were soon after falling toward the ground. Dick closed his eyes, reveling in the feeling of weightlessness. To be honest, he loved the feeling of falling. He just needed to feel nothing for half a moment.

The line pulled, slowing his decent. Dick braced himself, landing in a crouch without a sound. They'd touched down in a heavily wooded area, in a clearing just off the dirt road leading from the main gate to the complex. Dick looked up just in time to see the stars morph, a trick of the mind to anyone with an untrained eye, as the bioship flew back over the facility's fence.

“Let's go,” Artemis whispered. Dick nodded wordlessly, and the two of them began to stealth their way through the woods.

At the edge of the main compound, they took cover between a large shipping crate and a row of bushes. Dick leaned back against the metal wall of the container, bringing up a schematic of the grounds on his wrist computer. Dick frowned as he scanned through the info. “Looks like our main shipment is coming in from the western gate. Everything else has already been unloaded.”

Artemis frowned. “If this stuff has something to do with Scarecrow, shouldn't it be coming from the north from Gotham?”

Dick shook his head. “The formula is similar to his fear gas, but we can't assume that he has anything to do with it just yet. As of the moment, he's still in his holding cell at Arkham, but we can't entirely trust that either.”

“So, no conclusion jumping. Got it,” Artemis nodded. “Cameras?”

A series of red dots popped up on the screen. “Closest one is twenty feet up, at your 10 o'clock.”

Artemis drew a bow from her quiver, attaching it to her cable before shifting on her knees and firing. The arrow hit an electricity box, the small cylinder on the end glowing. Within a second, the camera above it short circuited. The arrow disintegrated, leaving no trace behind.

“How long will that thing last?” Dick asked.

“Long enough.”

Dick nodded. They disabled cameras as they went, minimizing any chance of evidence that Luther could use to pin blame on the league. All the while, moving in unison across the compound, Dick kept track of where the packages were being unloaded. It looked like most of their targets were being brought to a warehouse on the east side of the facility. It wasn't long before the two of them made it within about thirty yards of the building, hiding on the bank of a low ditch running out toward the nearby river. “Robin to Bioship,” Dick concentrated on bringing up the telepathic link through M'gann. “Artemis and I have disabled the CCTV, and we have the coordinates on our packages.”

Kaldur's voice drifted into his mind. “Understood. We are sending Kid Flash to your location.”

With all of that said and done, their major role in the mission was over. To be honest, Dick had kind of been hoping for something a little more exciting. Watching the place go up in flames would be satisfying, but on a mission like this, there wasn't much to speak of for action. Dick turned over on the grassy bank, laying out on his back as they waited for Wally to join them. Well, as Artemis waited. Dick was dreading every passing second.

After a moment, Artemis turned and sat next to him, arms propped behind her and one leg folded against her chest. She looked down at her companion, brow quirked under her mask. “So, are you going to tell me why you and Wally are so at odds right now?”

Dick let his head fall to the side, just hoping that his glare was clear enough through his own mask. “I wouldn't bet on it.”

Artemis shrugged. “Dunno, I've got pretty good luck.”

“Doubt it.”

“Got fifteen dollars on a scratch card once.”

“Irrelevant.”

“I'm pretty kick ass at euchre."

“That's not luck.”

“Not getting caught playing by your principal is.”

“Are all of these gambling stories?”

“I went to a rough school.”

“Before you transferred?”

Artemis smiled down at him. Dick was hesitant to use the description of the Chesire cat, but it wouldn't have been far from the truth. “Who ever said I transferred schools?”

Well, that was one in the bag for her. Dick groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He couldn't even acknowledge that. “How did you get a scratch ticket, anyway? Those aren't legal until you're 18.”

Artemis shrugged, leaning back further into her hands. “A friend owed me a favour.”

“For what?” Dick asked.

“Oh, not much,” Artemis replied with a dramatic sigh. “She and her crush were in a spat and I gave her some advice.”

Dick's eyes widened a fraction. He pushed himself upright. Couldn't even be mad, that was just impressive. “What are they teaching you in those psychology classes, mind games?”

Artemis shook her head. “No. My mom taught me.” Smile softening, Artemis turned toward him on her side, glancing up over the bank to keep a look out before her attention directed back to him. “Look, teasing aside, I'm not gonna pry. But D-” Artemis paused as Dick's mouth pressed in a firm line. “ _Robin_ , this isn't going to solve anything. It's going to just bottle up and explode again later down the line. Wally is in major denial, and you,” Artemis poked him in the chest, “can be a major _dick_. I'm not saying you have to pretend that nothing is wrong, and that you have to work everything out right now. Sooner or later though, you're going to have to talk.”

Dick stared down at the grass beneath him, his legs stretched out and his boot heels dug into the soft earth for purchase. Pretty much anywhere but her eyes. He knew that Artemis was right at least about one thing, though her comment on Wally put him off for reasons he couldn't quite understand. He said nothing, but the slow out breath through his nose and minuscule nod was enough.

A rustling in the woods on the other side of the stream brought both their attentions back to the matter at hand. Wally skidded to a stop at the other edge of the ditch, sliding down the opposite bank and following the momentum up onto their side. He stopped beside Artemis with a grin. Even Dick could tell it was slightly forced. “You called?”

“Got the detonator?” Artemis rolled her eyes.

Wally opened his fist, revealing the small device in his palm. “Miss M is already inside with one of the bozo's ID cards. Once I get what we need, she's pulling the alarm.”

“Don't know that I like M'gann being so close to the fire,” Dick muttered under his breath.

“Neither does Supey, he was pouting about it in the bioship after you guys left,” Wally replied. “But Kaldur's gonna be on stand by. She can handle it.”

“So, everyone's on place?” Artemis asked. With Wally nod, she rolled over onto her stomach and slipped a pair of binoculars out of her belt. After looking into them for a moment, she passed them to Wally. “The packages are inside that warehouse.”

Wally rolled over next to her, peering through the binoculars before passing them back. “Got it,” he said as he slipped his goggles down over his face. “Kaldur said we needed evidence, but anyone got any idea what exactly that means?”

“We're trying to pin the manufacturing and distribution of this drug on Luthor,” Dick responded. “If you can get the shipment info off the crates and find anything that indicates how he's sending it to the dealers, that'll be enough to launch and official investigation.”

“Got it,” Wally nodded.

Artemis reached out, hand wrapping around Dick's arm to tug him up. “Come on, we've got to head back to the bioship.”

“Right, right,” Dick stammered as he pushed himself off the bank. Just as soon as Artemis had let go of his arm and leapt across the ditch, another hand took its place on his other arm. Dick stopped cold, turning back and boots sliding in the damp dirt. “Wally, wha-”

“We should- uhm,” Wally's voice was week. Even though his face was half covered, eyes obstructed by his goggles, Dick could just barely see the emerald of his eyes. His expression was unreadable. “We should... y'know... talk about what happened. Not like right now, obviously, but-”

“Why?” Dick spat. “You made what you had to say perfectly clear.”

Wally gritted his teeth, “ _Dick_ I just-”

But Dick was yanking his arm out of the speedster's hold before he could finish. Dick leapt across the ditch, running ahead into the bushes without looking back. His heart was still racing, spreading heat through is chest. The outburst surprised him, left a bitter taste in his mouth, made his head swim and his legs unsteady. He was given the opportunity to patch things up, Wally had tried to open up to him and he just – he completely shut down. He panicked, he didn't want to _deal_ with any of this.

Dick completely zoned out as he made his way through the forest. Artemis was still far ahead of him, a distant green figure weaving her way over bushes and through tree branches. The bioship had landed further away and they would have to find their own way out of the compound until the rest of the team had finished their objectives. He didn't know how long they had been making their way back through the forest, but it was long enough that suddenly hearing Wally's voice in his mind jarred him. He nearly tripped, managing to catch himself in a roll and land in a crouch.

“Uh, guys? Minor issue here,” the speedster said.

Kaldur was the first to respond. “What is happening?”

“I mean it's nothing that'll effect the plan, but- all of the packages we were tracking? They've been stamped as rejected. Lex Corp is sending them back, they didn't order it.”

“We will continue as planned and make note of this,” Kaldur responded. “Regardless, we must destroy the key components of the drug.”

“That's the other problem,” Wally replied. “The orders on the tags say that there were eight crates sent to this facility. There are only seven here. And that's for each of the components.”

Stopping to listen and catch his breath, Dick soon began to tune out the conversation as it carried on in his mind. The voices fell away, to the place where he could think freely without telepathic interception. Someone had obviously used Lex Corp as a cover for their own order, most likely hacking into their system to place it. It was the perfect scheme. Not only was the payment made to a company that likely wouldn't even notice, but should any third party, like the League, get wind of the operation, they wouldn't put it past Luthor to be up to it.

Not only that, but – this whole scenario was beginning to reek of their last Cadmus mission. A high priority target goes missing without a trace, something that didn't appear to belong there in the first place, within hours of them searching for it.

There was no time to warn the others. Or at least that was Dick told himself. Turning on his heal, he began to run back toward the Lex Corp warehouses. Not even half a mile back, a rustling in the forest to his right caught his attention. Dick rolled to a stop and stayed low to the ground, concealing himself with ease as he watched the same hooded assassin from Cadmus leap through the trees. He wasn't carrying an entire crate, but did have a large sack hanging from his back. It wasn't too far off to assume that the bag contained the main components of the drug.

Dick paused. To his left, he could see the smoke and flames raise from the first fire that Wally had started. In front of him, the hooded figure was making his getaway. Dick followed.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Wally had made it back to the bioship just as the second explosions echoed off in the distance. Shipping labels and a few other papers he'd recovered from the offices tucked under his arm, he approached the cloaked bioship with the thermal imaging on his cameras gone. The ship managed to hide most of its thermal signatures, but he'd learned that it did leave just a faint outline. As he approached, he knocked twice on the hull, paused, and then knocked three times more. With that signature recognized, Artemis opened the ramp from inside, the interior of the bioship seemingly materializing out of nowhere.

Wally stepped on, switched his uniform out of stealth mode, pushed his goggles up, prepared to dump the papers and head straight to his seat to avoid contact with Dick for the remainder of the flight home. Perfect plan in theory. However, his path was blocked by a wide eyed and slightly pale Artemis.

“I thought you were Robin,” she said.

Wally dropped the papers, staggering toward her. The archers words alone were enough to coil tight around his neck. “What's going on?”

“He was right behind me,” Artemis replied. Her voice was hoarse, cracking in the way it did when she was upset. “We were heading back together, and he just – he fell behind. He was taking forever, I thought you were him.”

Wally's stomach dropped. “And you didn't tell anyone? You didn't go back to look for him?”

“It's _Robin_!” Artemis argued. “You know how he is! He's always vanishing, who knows what he was doing?!”

Wally looked back out to the woods. “Shit!” he cursed under his breath. Pulling his goggles back down over his face, he raced out into the treeline. With every sonic step, he could feel his gut churn bile.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Dick followed the assassin through the woods, following along the same direction as the ditch he'd laid in earlier. As they moved, the ditch became a stream, dropping down further into rocky gorges and growing wider until it split into a ravine running out toward the ocean. They didn't make it that far, though. Just as the scene of salt water was growing stronger, the assassin took a turn and started heading north. The hooded figure lead him to another building, nearly identical to the others Luthor's compound, if not just a little more run down. Abandoned, he'd even say. Perfect.

It was, notably as Dick got closer, a great deal taller than the rest, and hiding behind it a number of other derelict warehouses. The assassin he had been following ran ahead, scaling the side of the tallest building like it was nothing. At the top, Dick could just barely see a group of identical looking figures standing waiting around a helicopter. From the looks of it, they were about to take off.

Not about to let his opportunity slip away, Dick ran out onto the concrete, firing his grappling hook onto the rooftop and propelling himself up into the air. Halfway into his flight, he took out a batarang, throwing it with all his might and precision. To his success, it stuck to the bottom of the helicopter just as it was taking off. He couldn't stop the drug components from getting away, but he could sure as hell track them.

Now to deal with the current pest.

Before he could complete scaling the building, one of the remaining assassin pulled what looked like a katanna from a holster on his back and sliced through the cable with disturbing ease. Dick caught himself on a window ledge before he could fall. With a grunt in exertion, he hauled himself inside, landing on the floor of an office that hadn't been touched since the late nineties. Dick laid on his back a moment to catch his breath, a stupid mistake on his part. His head wasn't clear enough for this.

Before he could react, another hooded assassin propelled themselves through the open window. Dick gasped, just barely managing to roll out of the way before the man trampled him. Coming up to his feet on the other side of the room, Dick recovered in a fighting stance.

But the man didn't move. For the first real time, Dick got a good look at him. His uniform screamed League of Shadows, but the brass claws on his fingers and the round eyed mask didn't fit the description. There wasn't much else time to observe. Without warning or hesitation, the assassin took a large explosive out of his belt. His thumb hovered over the switch.

Dick wasn't going to stay to find out if he'd really blow himself up just to cover a scam.

Throwing himself out of the room, Dick raced into the nearest stairwell just as the explosion rocked through the building. He just made it inside before the door behind him blew off its hinges, and a massive fireball rushed out. Dick took out his grappling gun, a new hook automatically replaced as he shot it upwards and fought to race the explosion. He could feat the searing heat through his uniform, the burn roasting his exposed skin and threatening to overtake him. The fire didn't reach the height of the building, though. As the fireball lost momentum, Dick was able to put more distance between himself and it. Reaching the rooftop access door at the top, Dick kicked at the hinges to bust it open.

He didn't have long before the building collapsed under the structural damage. Of course, while he had every intention of getting the hell out, there was the minor obstacle of the second assassin waiting for him at the top.

Dick didn't have the time to catch his breath. The moment he saw the other hooded man, he launched himself at him to attack. His spin kick was blocked easily, but Dick managed to flip backwards and land on his feet. The assassin was quick to react, pulling out two sai and racing toward Dick. The man moved like he had no bones in his body. It was only then that Dick remembered M'gann's claim that they weren't human, or alive.

Dick rolled out of the way as the blades swiped through the air where his neck had been. Reaching into his belt, he pulled out a high voltage taser, only to have the device kicked painfully from his hands before he could deploy it. Dick gritted his teeth, pushing himself off his hands to place and upercut kick to his attacker's jaw. The move effectively knocked off his mask. The metal and cloth rolled across the rooftop, filling the eerie silence with nothing but the rumble of the fire below and the clang of the mask. The man – or creature's – neck snapped back down from its unnatural angle, revealing a stark white, corpse like face with gnarled strands of black hair protruding unevenly from its head. Dick resisted the urge to vomit.

He managed to defend, to block the sai and evade the assassin for the time being. However, Dick knew that this was going to last. He was getting worn down. In a last ditch effort, he managed to land a kick to the creature's chest, propelling himself backwards in a flip and landing next to his discarded taser. With one pull of the trigger, he managed to sink the electric cables into it, sending a lethal level of voltage into the mock body. The creature cried out in a terrible screech before finally collapsing.

Dick wasn't far behind. Sinking down to his knees, he braced himself and fought to catch his breath. His mouth was dry, while an abundance of sweat dripped down his forehead and soaked into his hair. The night was silent. A voice in the back of his mind told him that he needed to get up, that the building was going to collapse, but his body just couldn't find the strength to move. And then-

“ _ **Robin** **!**_ "

He looked up, and the creature was standing over him, petrifying face expressionless and mouth open in a silent roar as it lifted its sai over his head. Dick didn't have the time to react. The sai came down. It was all happening too fast, the sai came down, and it never drove home. A blur of crimson and gold flashed before his eyes, and in the space of a blink, the creature was thrown over the side of the building. As the moving colours stopped and the world seemed to slow down, Dick was suddenly faced with Wally as he tried to skid to a stop after ramming his attacker over the roof.

Wally was losing his footing. His momentum was still driving him forward, but forward was a fifty foot drop. As Wally tipped over the edge, Dick's heart stopped dead.

“No!” he scrambled toward him, leaning over the side with his hand outstretched. Their fingers brushed, but it wasn't enough.

Wally _fell_.

Dick watched from the height, helpless and terrified, and Wally _fell_. He couldn't see him through the thick black smoke, the bright colours of his uniform fading away in a mortal instant.

The voices in his head grew louder and louder, and Dick couldn't hear himself shouting over the roar of the fire and his teammates touching down behind him on the rooftop. He couldn't vaguely hear Conner calling to him, but Dick couldn't _hear_ , he it was just the fire, and his heartbeat in his hears fighting for dominance as cold panic surged through his veins.

An arm wrapped around his torso and pulled him up. Dick tried to fight back against it, to get back to the edge to _Wally falling_. Conner was inevitably too strong, but Dick put up a fight, shouting and reaching out as the Kryptonian leapt off the building. Taking massive bounds, Conner carried him into the forest and far away from the building. Dick watched from over his shoulder as the fire overtook it, the structure collapsing in a cloud of smoke and debris.

When Conner finally stopped, he landed in the clearing, the rest of the team was waiting outside of the uncloaked bioship. The moment Conner let Dick go, he collapsed, falling on his hands and knees as he struggled just to breathe. “We have to-,” he coughed, paying no mind to the smoke that had filled his lungs from the rooftop. “We have to go back, we have to save Wally, we have to go back!” he rambled.

A hand on his shoulder paid no comfort. Dick couldn't think straight enough to notice the figure kneeling down in front of him, trying to coax him upright. “Rob- hey, hey, Robin! Robin, calm down, come on. Breathe, I'm- Robin, I'm right here!”

Dick's head snapped up. Wally was holding him by the shoulders. Covered in patches of soot and a little worse for wear, but he was there. But Dick was still shaking. “You fell,” he gasped.

Wally nodded. “I – yeah, but Rocket caught me. I'm-”

Dick didn't let him finish. His arms were around Wally in a vice grip in an instant. He held onto him as close as possible, his chin on his shoulder, wide and panicked gaze locked on the distant fire rising above the treetops. “You _fell_.”

Wally didn't respond. For once, he seemed to know when no words were needed. Hesitating a moment, he sighed and sat back on his legs, allowing Dick to lean into him better. His arms came up around him, holding him in return for reassurance. He didn't tell Dick that it was okay, or not to worry.

The team watched the exchange, sharing glances of confusion and sympathy.

“Perhaps he was exposed to the Fear Gas toxin,” Kaldur broke the silence.

“No,” Wally immediately replied. His tone was soft, understanding. “No, just – trust me. That's not it.” He knew better.

Dick and Wally sat together on the bioship on the ride home. No one said a word about it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Wally slept with the window open that night. He still smelled a little bit like a bonfire. After returning home just before midnight, he showered, and all but collapsed in bed. His mother had been asleep when he came in, and his father was in the living room watching TV. He hadn't really said more than a few quick words to him before he went his own way. Just a 'how did the mission go' and 'it was fine' honestly. Routine.

Wally's head hit the pillow, and he was asleep. Felt like he'd only blinked before a buzzing on his bedside table woke him up. Wally rolled over with a groan, rubbing his eyes as he blinked at the green glow of his suddenly-too-bright alarm clock screen. 2:03am. A little sluggish on waking up, his gaze then dropped down to his phone. He picked it up, the screen coming to life.

[Incoming Call: Dickhead](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqCTDxu5I0s)

Still half asleep, Wally flopped back down onto his pillows, rolling over onto his back and bringing the phone to his ear. “Hello?” he croaked. There was no answer on the other end. Wally frowned and rubbed his hand over his face again. “Dick?”

“Sorry, this- uh, this was stupid.” Dick's voice was uneven, just slightly hitched.

Slowly waking up more with time, Wally pushed himself upright and leaned back against his headboard. “No, no dude it's fine. What's up?”

Dick paused. Wally could almost hear him breathing. “Nightmare. It was dumb,” he answered. Wally didn't need any clarification on that. Didn't take a whole lot to figure out what it had been about. “I was probably still half asleep when I called.”

“Well, to be fair, I was half asleep when I answered,” Wally replied with a quiet laugh. Dick laughed on the other end, his tone subdued, not quite there. Wally felt his chest flush.

The two of them were silent for a long while. Wally could hear Dick swallow. “They're reporting it as an accident.”

Wally frowned. “Huh?”

“The explosions at Lex Corps. They reported it as an accident, something about fault gas lines that could have traveled through the pipes to the different buildings. Bruce doesn't know if Luthor actually suspects anything but – looks like we're clear for now.”

“Right,” Wally sighed. “That's good, I guess.”

“Yeah... so, uh... how did you guys find me, anyway?”

“We saw the explosion. Usually a pretty good give away with you.” Dick laughed tiredly again, and Wally had to take a deep breath just to keep his heart from skipping. He let his gaze drift to his window. The moonlight cascaded down through the blinds, forming lines on his blankets. It looks more like prison bars. He breathed in the midnight air. Through his door, he could hear his father snoring on his lazy boy with the TV still on low. “No offense, but I kinda don't want to talk about the mission right now.”

“Fair enough. Sorry,” Dick replied. Another pause drifted in, and then - “I _am_ sorry, Wally.”

“I'm sorry, too,” Wally muttered. A glass shattering as it hit the floor downstairs had Wally jumping slightly. Dad probably dropped his beer bottle. He fell asleep with it in his hands sometimes. Wally paid it no mind. He ran his hand back through his hair. “Is it weird that I kinda miss you?”

“Not really,” Dick replied. The two of them were speaking barely above whispering. Every hushed word from Dick caused tingles to drift from Wally's head to his shoulders. “Kinda miss you too.” Dick yawned on the other end. With each passing moment, Wally could tell he was getting closer to sleep.

“So,” Wally began after another short pause, “why did you call?”

“Didn't really think about it. It was the first thing I did.” Dick yawned again. “Wanted to hear your voice.”

Wally felt like he might burst. Not in an explosion, he was sorta sick of those, but more like he might just – evaporate, like every particle in his body might separate and he'd just drift right out the window. “Yeah?” he muttered. “I, uh... listen Dick, I know I messed up. I think... I think we're both just a little fucked up. But I mean, I think that's okay? Or – we can make it okay. I want to, anyway. At the dance, I just freaked out, y'know? And I don't want to miss you anymore because of it – or, like, at all. I just... Dick?”

The other boy's breathing had evened out on the other end of the line. Wally could hear every soft inhale and exhale blown over the microphone. Dick had fallen asleep just listening to his voice. Wally let that fact sink in, feeling a little like he might sink straight through the floor now. The speedster sighed, taking a few moments longer than necessary just to listen to Dick breathe. “G'night...” he muttered as he finally ended the call.

Bringing the phone down to his lap, Wally turned the brightness down to low and still found that he had to squint at the light. Bringing up his contacts, he scrolled through until he found the one person alive that he needed to talk to at the moment. Also probably the only personal alive who could and would kill him for texting him at 2am. He sent one text.

Roy. H e l p. WW

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't stop me, cause I'm havin' a good time, HAVIN' A GOOD TIME ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
> 
> On another note, your feedback so far has been so incredible. Thank you so much, I love hearing what you think.


	5. Arcade & Milkshakes & Game Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll proof read when I'm dead.

Wally felt the paint chip under his knuckles as he knocked on the door. The flakes drifted to the green carpeted floor of the hallway. Honestly, it wasn't like it was the seediest place in Star City – but Wally could see why a 19 year old with a minimum wage day job had been able to afford it. The buzzer at the front door of the building had been broken, allowing Wally to walk right up. It was mostly clean at least, didn't smell awful, though the five million glade plug ins he saw lining the halls may have had something to do with it. And it didn't have an elevator.

Footsteps from the other side of the door grew louder, the subtle vibrations stronger, until finally there was the sound of a chain rustling, and the door opened. Roy stood inside, taking one sweeping look down at his younger friend. “You look like shit, man,” was all he said.

Wally rolled his eyes. “Thanks, hadn't noticed.” That much was true, though. He'd hardly slept last night... or the night before that. It'd been about a week since the team's last mission. The whole fiasco and its precluding events had been slowly eating away at his mind. Wally was pretty messed up over it. When he'd texted Roy begging for help, today had been the soonest date they were both free to hang out. So, Wally had taken the zeta tube to Star City, eager to get out of his house and somewhere he could think clearly without the presence of his parents making the air thicker. At least here it was just the artificial scent of 'Hawaiian Breeze'. Or Wally assumed it was artificial. He'd never been to Hawaii.

Roy only grinned at Wally's response, clapping him on the shoulder to guide him inside. The moment the door was closed, Roy replaced the chain. Apparently, he knew the place was a little seedy too. “That's what I'm here for. Or what you're here for,” Roy shrugged as he gestured vaguely to the pile of shoes on a rubber mat by the door for Wally to kick his off.

Roy's apartment was, surprisingly, pretty nice. It was obvious that he had put some work into it. Wally could see where he'd patched over some holes in the wall and painted over them. The trim against the floor was banged up, and there were two light bulbs in the ceiling that were out, but it wasn't bad. Roy kept an old couch, scrubbed of stains within an inch of its life, and had made a coffee table out of wood palates and milk crates. It was one of those things were Wally couldn't tell if it was _supposed_ to look worn, like it was some kind of new trend, or if it was just thrifted. Probably the later.

It was kind of weird, knowing that one of his friends had their own place. Roy was only about three years older than him, but he'd been pretty determined to get out on his own as soon as he turned eighteen. Wally tried not to look so awkward as he walked into the living room, looking around at the ripped and wrinkled posters on the walls. Shit, he even had a _plant_ under the window. One of those cactus things that were impossible to kill, but _still_.

“So,” Roy called over his shoulder as he headed into the kitchen, “sounds like you're pretty screwed.”

Wally stuffed his hands into his pockets. “You're really aiming for the whole Captain Obvious thing, aren't you?”

“Just making sure I'm on the same page” Roy replied. Wally soon joined him, leaning back against the kitchen counter. “Have you two talked since last week?”

Wally shrugged. “We've texted, but I mean... not like we usually do? Not as often anyway. And when we do text, it's kind of like neither of us really know what to say. I'm telling you, man, my head's going to explode soon if I don't figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do. The League's Fourth of July thing is tomorrow, and Dick's gonna be there. I'm a dead man walking.”

“I figured as much,” Roy nodded. He was silent for a moment, gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out how to comfort his friend. Finally, he just shrugged. “You want a beer?” he asked. Before Wally could respond, Roy opened the fridge and began rooting through. Wally couldn't see much beyond take out containers.

Wally frowned in confusion. “Dude, I'm 16.”

“Right, right, don't know what I was thinking,” Roy responded, back to Wally as he grabbed something from the fridge. He turned around, kicking the door shut behind him, and presented him with a can of cider, instead.

Wally took the green can and turned it over, before looking back up at his friend. In the end, he just shrugged and popped the tab off. It wasn't half bad, honestly. Kinda burned, but it just sorta tasted like really strong apple juice with a bad after taste. He stuck his tongue out, a shiver running from his neck and down his spine as he turned the can over to look at the label. “How'd you even get this? You're not legal.”

Roy chuckled as he popped the cap off a bottle of beer and took a swing. “I'm legal in Canada.”

“Did you seriously go all the way to Canada just for some booze?”

“No.”

“Then how-” Wally shook his head. Honestly, he didn't really want to know. Little things like this lost their meaning when they were out saving the world every other week. He took another drink of his cider. “Whatever. Is this supposed to help?”

Roy shook his head. Setting his beer down on the counter, he turned and opened the fridge again. “Not really,” he replied. “We're going to have a drink, eat some cold pizza, and you can take your frustration out on some video games. It's the best way to deal with relationship problems. ”

Wally frowned. “Me and Dick aren't _in_ a relationship.”

“And that's your problem.”

Wally didn't have much of a mind to retort to that. He was too caught of guard by watching as Roy brought out an obscene amount of pizza. There must have been five boxes in the stack. “Where the hell did you get all of that?”

Roy shrugged, walking past Wally to take it into the living room. “Day job. They let me take home the leftovers.”

Wally smirked as he followed him. “You're a Pizza Boy now?” He received only a punch in the shoulder as a response. Touche.

Plopping himself down onto the couch cushion, Wally sighed and went to kick his feet up. The result, as soon as his heels met the wood, was nearly toppling the entire structure over. Roy was quick to smack his legs away. “Careful,” he snapped.

So, definitely thrifted.

Wally brought his feel back down, raising his hands in surrender as he did so. His sarcasm in the matter only seemed to put Roy off more. Wally didn't really feel like getting kicked out after only ten minutes there, so he eased up. “So, what've you got?”

Though Wally could see that Roy was tempted to smack him again, the older boy seemed to restrain himself. Walking over to his tv, Roy crouched down in front of an aged cabinet and began to rifle through a mess of game covers and wires. “Assassin's Creed?”

Wally shot up. “Dude, you've got the new one? Revelations? It's not even out yet!”

Roy turned around with a deadpan look and gestured to his apartment. “Does it _look_ like I have an unreleased game? No. It's Brotherhood.”

“I already beat that,” Wally frowned.

Roy threw the game cover at his head. “Then you should have no trouble with it.”

The game didn't have two player, so they ended up just going from where Roy had left off, and handing off the controller every time one of them died. Which, despite Wally's confidence, was often. All the while, the two of them gorged on cold pizza, taking their respective drinks. Wally had been allowed sips of wine and beer at family functions on the rare occasion, but he'd never had a proper drink like this. Honestly, he just felt a little light headed and kinda loose. Like whatever feeble verbal filter he did have was taking a lovely nap. In hindsight, that was probably the point.

“So,” Roy grunted as he vaulted the character over a wall, “this whole thing started because you invited him to your school dance, and when things got a little carried away you both freaked out. You ran off to splash water on your face, you came back, and he was busting a drug deal outside. And you flipped out why exactly?”

Wally groaned, sinking further into the crease he'd made for himself in the sofa. “Because – things were almost – _happening_ , and yeah I needed a breather, but he just kinda blew me off. I mean, I kinda blew him off first, probably could've handled it a lot better, fair enough. I was confused, but he was acting like none of it meant anything. Dunno,” he shrugged.”

Roy nodded, though his eyes remained glued to the screen. The cord connecting the Xbox to the TV would bug out every once in a while, and he'd have to nudge it with his foot to get it in just the right spot again. “Did it?”

“Don't know,” Wally sighed. “He said he was pissed because I was flirting – whiiiccchhhh I was.”

“Maybe,” Roy began, “he thought it was more than just the two of you hanging out.” When Wally didn't respond, he finally glanced at the boy sitting beside him. “Was it?”

Wally only shrugged again, suddenly unable to make eye contact. “Don't know.”

“Bullshit. “

Wally groaned, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration as he finally sunk down into the couch cushion enough that he just slunk right off and ended up wedged between the coffee table and the couch. “I don't know! I mean, okay, I thought that maybe something _more_ than just a friends thing would come out of it. But when I came down, and I saw my Dad's reaction, I just kinda panicked. Dad didn't even really _say_ anything, I could just tell he was put off at the idea of me just bringing Dick to a dance when the rest of my friends were bringing dates. He was being all stoic and judgy about it, so I... kinda panicked, tried to cover it up, y'know?”

Roy listened, though his exasperation with Wally's inability to get to the point was becoming more and more apparent. “But you did invite him as a date.”

“...Yeah.”

“You like him.”

“I know.”

Roy set the controller down. Sliding off the sofa, he mimicked Wally's position between the couch and the coffee table. Wally couldn't meet his eyes, but he didn't have to look at him to feel the rare gentle understanding rolling off his older friend. Roy's hand clapped lightly onto his shoulder. “But, do you know that's okay?”

Wally didn't respond. For a long moment, the only sound was the faded backtrack of the game and the whir of the Air Conditioner under the window working overtime. Wally pursed his lips, ran his hand back through his hair, all like he was trying to form a coherent response, but unable to. A loud clang and a change in music finally broke the steady silence, bringing Wally's attention to the TV. “You died, dude. My turn.”

Roy frowned, an argument forming on his tongue but ultimately falling silent. He huffed a sigh, pushing himself to take one of the empty pizza boxes to the recycling bin. Wally had already finished an entire pizza on his own. It was one with pineapple on it, though, so he was _more_ than welcome to take it all. Roy grabbed himself another beer while he was in the kitchen, idly watching Wally play as he wandered back to the couch. “I thought you were supposed to have lightening fast reflexes. You suck at this game.”

Wally frowned at the screen. “I'm just rusty, gimme a minute.”

His minute only lasted one mob attack later. Wally tossed the controller back onto the couch behind him for Roy to resume his turn. Pushing himself up, he flopped back onto the cushions, realizing that it was, indeed, a lot more comfortable than the floor. “It's not just that though!” he whined.

Roy only glanced down at him for a moment. “What?”

“I mean that the problem isn't just... _that_ , y'know?” Wally went on. “Like, I _know_ there's nothing wrong it it, that's just...” not always enough. He didn't want to get into that. It was a whole other rabbit hole. “Dick is my _best friend_. He- dude, I thought _you_ were supposed to be a master archer, you can't even hit one goon.”

Roy elbowed him in the side. “Fictional physics, piss off,” he grunted. “You were saying?”

Wally scratched the back of his neck. “He means a lot to me, Roy. I _like_ him, a lot, but I don't want anything to change. Or- I do, I want to _be more_ with him, but I don't want _us_ to change. Does that make sense?”

“Vaguely,” Roy nodded. “Sounds like you're screwed.”

Wally deemed that the only proper response was to grab the nearest pillow, hold it to his face, and shout into it. Roy just sort of let him do it, entirely unphased by his antics. When Wally felt sufficiently released of his frustration, at least for the time being, he let the pillow flop from his hand and onto the floor. “This is all Dick's fault for his stupid blue eyes, and dumb laugh, and that fucking _bubblegum lip balm_.”

“The what?"

“Don't worry about it.”

Roy rolled his eyes. “Well, here's a crazy idea. What if, instead of mopping on my couch and bitching about your problems to me, you go and _talk_ to Dick about it?”

Wally stared back at him with a wide eyed gaze that spoke of imminent failure and damnation. “That is the worst idea I've ever heard.”

Roy, miraculously, managed to restrain himself from grabbing that pillow again and just smothering the kid. The conversation eventually began to drift off, with Wally still too confused to be coherent, and Roy's patience wearing thin. Best for the both of them, then. Wally was slated to sleep over at Roy's place, with the go ahead from his parents. His dad had even seemed happy about it. Roy was a 'real young man', according to him. Maybe he'd be a good influence on Wally. Evidently, he meant something else, as the two of them were teenagers underage in a seedy apartment in the middle of Star City. A+ role model.

After only another hour of playing, they switched to watching Silent Hill. Wally, as Roy knew well by know after years of their friendship, didn't do scary movies well. They involved too much slow burn horror and jump scares, which he evidently didn't deal well with. The upside to Roy being that it got Wally to shut up and forget about his problems for a while. It got the desired result, with Wally focusing his energy on devouring another box of pizza and chanting “no don't go in there, don't go in there, don't go in there” under his breath like the characters could hear him.

It was about six in the evening when Wally finally felt his phone buzz in his pocket. The movie was just about finishing up, hitting the climax in the church scene. He was so engrossed in the movie, almost afraid to look away (he'd been hugging the pillow to his chest for the past hour), that he nearly ignored it. When he felt the buzz again, though, he finally reached down and slipped the device out of his pocket. The screen felt like a blinding light in the darkness of Roy's apartment, with the lights off and the curtains pulled over the windows. He blinked a few times as the text came into focus.

[Contact: Dickhead]

Free game night at Galaxy Palace. You in? DG

Wally's heart skipped from seeing the contact name on his screen alone, accompanied by a little circle avatar of Dick's face beaming at him.

“Go,” Roy said before Wally could even look up.

“Did you just read my text over my shoulder?” Wally accused.

“No,” Roy grunted, “you were just staring at your phone like an idiot for a minute and a half. Didn't take much brain power to figure out who it was. You're not ditching me, man. Go ahead.”

Wally grinned. He didn't need to say anything to convey his gratitude, and to be honest, Roy probably preferred it that way. Hopping off the couch, he headed toward the door, and was running down the concrete stairwell within seconds. It was taking every considerable ounce of self control in him not to use his real speed, but that didn't mean he wasn't pushing it. The Star City zeta tube was a few blocks away, hidden in the fire exit door of an abandoned surf wear shop. Wally skidded to a stop in the alley way, checking around him as he punched in the coordinates for Gotham. It was all he could do not to bounce from foot to foot as he waited for the damn thing to authenticate and let him in.

There was something unshakably just _off_ about stepping into a place in a golden afternoon sunlight, and then stepping out seconds later into a dark, humid night. The time different between Star City and Gotham was only about three hours, but it made for one disorienting jump at this time of the day. Still, Wally stepped out, took in a deep breath of the familiar, if not a little dirty, air of Gotham, and began his short trek to the arcarde.

Gotham wasn't that bad as long as you knew where to go. The area that his and Dick's favourite arcade was located in wasn't all that bad. Signs of poverty and harsh conditions still showed, but so did signs of improvement. Galaxy Palace was an arcade, one of those businesses that offered things like free game night just to keep kids off the street and entertained safely for a night. There was a place across the street that offered a free slice of pizza for every A on a report card. Little things like that were slowly bringing life into neighborhoods like these. Honestly, the only reason Wally knew all of this was because Dick would go on excited rants about it all the time. Just listening to him talk so passionately about it was... an experience. He'd listen to it for hours.

Coming around the corner, Wally was drawn into the neon and tacky paint of the arcade, already able to hear the sound of teenagers shouting over one another from outside. He pushed through the door, the ring of the bell hung above it barely cutting through the roar of music and voices inside. It sort of reminded him of the dance – same smell too. Oddly enough though, he wasn't feeling as enthusiastic as he had been at the beginning of that night. He was excited to be there, to see Dick outside of the context of the team for what felt like the first time in forever, but – it was subdued. Sort of slowly burning in his chest, intense and hot, but not bursting outward.

Spotting Dick through the crowd, that changed. Just for a second, he felt the fire in his chest burst up into his heart and the plummet into the pit of his stomach. The dark haired teen was currently engaged in what looked like a street fighter game and didn't see him. Grinning to himself, Wally maneuvered his way through the crowd, just another face amount hundreds of others. He snuck up behind Dick, catching only Barbara's gaze – one of the few friends of Dick's that he knew – as he raised his finger to his lips in a silencing gesture. Finally, waiting until Dick was just about to land a fatality on his computer operated opponent, Wally reached out and tasered Dick's sides with his fingers.

Dick jumped with a shout, reflexes kicking in as he spun around to face his assailant in a split second. Wally was probably just lucky that he didn't get decked. After looking up to see who had dared to scare him, Dick's face morphed from surprise, to joy, to fury. “Wally!” he shouted over the noise as he smacked Wally on the arm.

From behind him, the 8-bit music of failure sounded from the large game machine, the words “Loser” flashing over the screen. Dick looked back over his shoulder just in time to see it before it went to the title screen. His expression when he looked back at Wally was not impressed.

Wally's grin never faltered. “You're slipping.”

“You're an asshole.”

“This is true.”

Despite his best efforts, Dick couldn't keep himself from smiling at Wally. He laughed, shaking his head and running his hand back through his hair. There was a bit of a line forming up behind him for the game, so he nudged Wally, and the two of them shuffled out of the way so the next players could take their turns. Though generally they were on a lot better terms at the moment, the tension lingering between them was still present. Dick ran his hand back through his hair, black locks falling back into his face in spite of his attempts to push it back. He seemed for a moment like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind last minute.

Dick turned over his right shoulder to face Barbara. “Babs!” he called to her over the music. “I'm gonna-”

“Go ahead,” Barbara waved him off before he could finish. With a smirk and a wink to her friend, she headed over to another group of high school students gathered around one of the high tables. The back of one girl's head, a long blonde pony tail pulled tightly back, looked familiar, but Dick was turning toward him again before he could see the girl's face.

Dick's face was just a shade pinker when he looked back up at Wally. His eyes flickered around the arcade before he dared lock gazes with him. He shrugged. “Skee ball?”

Wally crossed his arms over his chest. “Only if we do wack-a-mole too.” If they were going to do any game that required aim, they needed to do one that needed speed too.

The corner of Dick's mouth twitched up. “Tie breaker on Pac-Man?”

“Deal.”

It was a bit of a struggle getting to the far side of the room, where a few Skee ball machines were lined up against the wall, but they managed with minimal elbowing. The whole arcade was free for the night, so the coin locks on everything had been overrode, allowing the two of them to just hit the green button on the front of the 'lane' to begin their game.

“So,” Wally began as he picked up one of the balls and rolled it up the lane, “how was your last week of school?”

Dick frowned, glancing at his friend. “What?”

“I said, how was your last week of school?” Wally repeated.

Dick shook his head. Between the crack of the balls hitting the lane and the thunderous noise of them rolling up, hitting the rings, the music, the chorus of a hundred voices – well, it was really no wonder that Dick couldn't hear him. Dick stepped over to Wally, his hand coming up to rest on his back, just standing at his side as he ducked his head in enough to hear. Wally swallowed hard. His arm reached around to rest a hand on Dick's far shoulder before he even thought about it. It was natural, something he never really noticed before, but something that wasn't really out of the ordinary for them. Only now, Dick's fingers hesitated before curling slightly into the fabric of Wally's shirt, and Wally's hand lay heavier against his friend's shoulder.

“How was the end of the school year? Like- exams and stuff,” Wally said once he was sure Dick could hear him.

Dick shrugged. “Nothing special. Just glad to be done, y'know? At least we survived our first year with the team and school at the same time.”

Then there was really nothing else to say. Dick moved away first, clearing his throat as he focused back on the game – and evidently, kicking Wally's ass. The scores by the end weren't even close.

They began to loosen up a little more by the time they got to Whack-A-Mole. They had to take turns on that one, as there was only one station for the game. Naturally, they each spent the other's turn trying to distract them from destroying the horrid mole enemy by bringing the hammer of justice down upon them. When Wally described the game as such during Dick's turn, it was all the younger boy could do to not break down in hysterical laughter. Which, really, wasn't that fair. Wally already beat him by a land slide with his reflexes.

That, of course, left Pac-Man as their predicted tie breaker. Being a classic and still relatively popular game, there was a bit of a line up for it. Nothing discouraging, just about three people ahead of them. They would have talked to pass the time, but it wasn't like they could hear each other anyway. And, to be honest, they seemed to be able to communicate just fine without speech. Wally couldn't count how many times Dick glanced over to a group of rowdier kids screaming about their laser tag scores and then looked back to him with a wide eyed, tight lipped smile that seemed to convey his second hand embarrassment. They didn't say a word, and somehow still spent the entire wait laughing to themselves.

They made their way to the front. Dick cut in front of Wally at the last second, with a smirk and another playful shove to show that he wasn't the least bit sorry. He made it about six levels before the ghosts caught up to him. Or at the very least, Wally was pretty sure that was how far he'd made it. It had occurred to him about halfway through his friend's turn that Dick's black skinny jeans were _really_ tight, and he spent the vast majority of the time trying not to look.

With a grumbled curse after his turn ended, Dick stepped aside and let Wally had his turn. The red head grinned, cracking his knuckles as he stepped up to the machine. “Let me show you how it's done.”

Dick scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “By all means, then.”

Feeling confident, Wally started the game, navigating through the maze with practiced ease. He began to advance his way through the levels, gaining more and more confidence. So much so, that he didn't notice Dick moving his in peripherals until it was too late. Focused entirely on the game, Wally made his move to get one of the little pixel cherries when – Dick just bit him. Right between his right shoulder and his neck, not _hard_ or anything, but he just fucking _bit_ him through his shirt. Wally jumped, turning around to face the smug grin Dick had on his face. In one of those moments when the world seemed to catch up, and for that one moment everything became clear before sinking back into obscurity, Wally stared at Dick. Behind him, the words 'Game Over' flashed over the screen.

Game Over indeed.

“Did you just bite me?” Wally gawked, like he didn't know perfectly well.

Dick showed absolutely no remorse. “You tased me. Call it revenge.”

“You're a cruel man, Dick Grayson.”

“Yep,” Dick replied, popping his lips on the last syllable. Taking a quick glance around the arcade, growing steadily more crowded as teenagers from around the city flowed in, Dick looked back to Wally and jerked his head toward the door. “Wanna get outta here?”

Wally's brows pulled together. “I thought this was arcade night?”

“Yeah,” Dick shrugged, “but now it's way-too-crowded-in-here-and-I-want-a-milkshake night.”

It was getting too hard to hear again. Even if Wally was a little confused, he couldn't deny the fact that going outside would probably be a good idea. The two of them navigated their way through the crowd until they could finally push through the door, the bell ringing out their departure as they stepped out into the cool midnight air. Neither of them had realized how hot and humid it was inside until they were met with the crisp breeze outside. Dick sighed in relief, stretching his arms out at his sides.

Wally, on the other hand, stuffed his hands in his pockets. “So what, now you want to go traipsing around Gotham at midnight?”

“No,” Dick said as his arms dropped back down. “I want to get a milkshake, and then I want to wander. Very different than traipsing.”

“Isn't it... I don't know, dangerous?”

“Well, I've heard this crazy rumour that some guy dressed as a Bat watches over the city every night. I feel like we'll be fine.”

Wally couldn't help chuckling under his breath. “I don't know, dude. My parents think I'm at Roy's... although alternatively, my parents think I'm at Roy's. Might not be a bad thing...” he trailed off again, gaze scanning the monoliths of skyscrapers and twinkling lights surrounding them. “Y'know what? I'm in. I've been playing video games all day, I need something new.”

Dick smirked “No more games?”

There was something in his voice, or maybe Wally was just imagining it, that suggested a double meaning. Wally gazed down at him a moment longer than necessary, a laugh bubbling from his chest. “No more games,” he smiled. “You did say milkshakes, right?”

Dick laughed. This time, when Wally felt his chest squeeze and his heart skip, he just let himself feel it. Dick nudged him in the shoulder. “Come on.”

That was the funny thing about them. Places like Galaxy Palace arcade, and Dorothy's candy shop, and now Saltwater Shake Co. were all _their_ places. These were spots where they had spent time together a thousand times before, just the two of them. Didn't matter whose city they were in. All the familiarity was grounding, but they were soon realizing, even on the short trip down a few blocks to their next destination, that while the locations were familiar, the growing tension in their relationship was new territory. It was just a bit terrifying, but oddly enough in a not-so-terrible way.

Saltwater Shake Co. was your typical attempt at a 50's style dinner. Only, it was built in the 80's, and seemed to have been left behind there, just sort of existing throughout the decades. Dick ordered a strawberry milkshake. Wally got a chocolate and peanut butter swirl. They split a basket of fries.

Once their order was ready, Wally picked up the tray and began carrying everything to their customary booth, a cozy little nook in the corner by the windows. He didn't get more than two steps before Dick was swiping his Styrofoam cup off the tray and dragging him toward the door.

Wally just barely had the coordination to take his own cup and the fries before dropping the tray on the shelf over the garbage can without dropping anything. “Dude, what're you doing?” he asked.

Dick pushed through the door, dragging Wally out into the midnight cityscape with him. “Something different. Come on.”

Wally was a little too stunned to protest. Whatever the other teen had in mind was a complete mystery to him, a feeling he wasn't really used to. They were venturing into uncharted territory here.

Dick looked back at Wally and laughed, letting go of his arm to fall into step next to him. He reached over, snatching a few fries out of the basket. “Loosen up, dude. I'm not leading you to a death trap. It's cool, I promise.”

“Where the hell is this 'it' you speak of?” Wally asked.

“Surprise. You'll figure it out,” was all Dick said in reply, the straw of his milkshake hanging from the corner of his mouth.

Turns out, the surprise 'it' was a bit of a walk. They ended up heading away from the downtown core, and toward what Wally assumed was the water. He could just barely smell the salty east coast air coming off the ocean as they approached. Turning down narrow streets, they walked side by side, likewise turning conversations over about final exams, plans for the summer outside of vigilantism, just about any meaningless subject they could bring up.

Finally, they rounded a corner on the edge of one of the older neighborhoods, where all of the houses were Victorian, and probably once beautiful but were not falling into decay after years of neglect and college student rentals. Wally couldn't say he was particularly impressed if this was the end of their journey. They faced a long rampart, a worn brick wall that curved around the ancient city. It wasn't exactly much to look at. However, Dick didn't seem to stop. With his milkshake still half full and firmly in hand, he took a running start at the wall, planted his foot, and sprung himself up just high enoguh that he could grab onto the top with his free hand. With a grunt, though minimal effort, he managed to hoist himself up to the top without dropping his treat. Crouched ontop of the wall, Dick grinned down at Wally and lent his hand down to him.

Wally rolled his eyes. “I can get up by myself.”

“Yeah, I know you can, but you kinda need at least one free hand, and you've already been hogging the fries all night. Pass them up,” Dick replied.

Shaking away his pride, Wally stretched his arm up to pass Dick their basket of fries. Honestly, there probably wasn't much of a point, it was already three quarters finished, but snacking on the little pieces of deep fried batter that didn't make it onto the fries was the best part. Once his hand was free, Wally took a similar jogging start at the wall and, if only barely, latched onto the top. He pulled himself over with only slightly more difficulty with Dick – wouldn't have been a problem if he could actually _run_ , but he'd let it go for the time being.

“So,” Dick sighed in content as he swung his legs over the other side of the wall and shifted to get comfortable. “Worth the walk?”

An understatement, as far as Wally was concerned. The rampart ran along Gotham Harbour, probably built during the Revolution – or maybe that one war with Canada right after – to protect the city from canon fire and an attack from the sea. From the height, they were given a perfect view of the city as it curved along the bay, glistening like one mass of lights thrown across a glassy pond. Massive freight ships glided in and out of the harbour, carrying goods and taking them away, looking more like they were sliding through the air than on water. The bay was entirely calm, reflecting the lights of the city and the passing ships with crystal clarity.

Wally let out a slow breath. “Yeah... I think so,” he replied.

For a while, the two of them were content to just finish off their milkshakes in companionable silence, drinking in the view for every detail that it was worth. Wally found himself trying to immortalize the memory in his mind. This felt important. Worth keeping. From the sight, to the feeling of the slightly damp stone through his jeans, the scent of peanut butter and sea salt, the humid breeze, to Dick's presence beside him burning right through his entire being.

“You know the phrase 'don't talk about the elephant in the room'?” Dick finally broke their silence.

Startled by the out of the blue question, Wally took a moment to fully comprehend what he had asked. “I... think I have? It's like when there's something really obvious happening right in front of you, but no one wants to acknowledge it, right?” Heat dripped into his chest, drop by drop with each quickening pulse of his heart. He head a feeling that he knew where this was going.

“Yeah, like that,” Dick replied as he set his milkshake down beside him. “Well, I feel like that. Only instead of a room, it's a city, and instead of an elephant, it's a T-Rex or- no, it's the asteroid that kills the T-Rex. Like an extinction level event, and we're both just staring at the sky trying to convince ourselves it's just a cloud when it's actually heading straight toward us.”

Wally floundered for a response. He leaned forward, his milkshake clasped lightly in both hands as he rested his elbows on his knees. “I think I know what you mean.”

Then they were silent again. Just staring at the harbour again. Dick's shoulders dropped. Bracing his hands behind him, gripping the edge of the wall, he leaned back. He sighed, slowly and deliberately, gearing up to say something more. “I didn't dance with you just so the drug dealers wouldn't notice I was watching them,” he muttered. “I wasn't really watching them at all. I swear, I just saw it happening, and I was frustrated, and I needed to vent,” he tried to brush his hair out of his eyes again. “Sometimes... it's just easier to be Robin than it is to be Dick. I tried to convince myself that Robin doesn't have to deal with... y'know, feelings and all that crap, but evidently that isn't the case.”

Wally listened intently, taking note of every flicker in Dick's expressions, every twitch of every muscle in his body, as if he could piece it all together like a puzzle. Like that puzzle would reveal everything he was thinking.

Dick pursed his lips. “So... yeah. I guess that's why I've been such a massive asshole lately, running off like I've got something to prove.”

Silence again. Wally knew it was his turn. Dick had started them off, and they _needed_ to have this conversation. There was no better time than now, everything was in place, Wally knew exactly what he wanted to say, but for the life of him, he couldn't take that jump over the metaphorical wall separating the two of them. Wally groaned aloud, all at once rising to his feet to pace along the top of the rampart. “Dick, I can't do this.”

Understandably, Dick's patience was beginning to crack, frustration and desperation leaking through. “Wally, would you _just_ talk to me?"

"I can't!” Wally shouted, hands in the air and eyes slightly wild, panicked. “Don't you think I want to? I mean, God, this should be so easy. I've said it to you in my head a million times already, it's all I've been able to think about for _months_ , but every time I try, every time I think I'm ready, the words don't come out!”

Not about to back down now that they were breaching the point of no return, Dick squared off with him. “We've always been able to talk to each other about everything. Just- pretend it's like that.”

Dick's calm broke Wally down. The water below them lapped at the rocky shore, slowly wearing it down, and all Wally could think was how much Dick's eyes looked like the ocean. The tension dropped from his bones, leaving him weary and anxious. He closed his eyes, clenching his jaw as he took a deep breath in, and released slowly. The problem is that I've felt for weeks like I needed to talk to someone,” he murmured as he opened his eyes again. “I tried talking to Roy. I even talked to Artemis.”

Dick laughed quietly under his breath. “Yeah, she cornered me too. Told me that we were just bottling things up and that if we didn't talk, we'd explode.”

“Really?” Wally quirked a brow. “She just told me to pull my head out of my ass.”

That got another laugh out of the both of them, their earlier frustrations sinking down into the sea. Wally watched Dick as his laughter died out, watched him like he'd been watching and admiring from a distance for so long. There was no room for distance anymore. They were being pushed at each other from every angle, pulled toward each other like gravity. Wally sighed. “I've tried talking to anyone who would understand. I think that the person I really needed to talk to all along about my problems with you was... you.”

In a rare moment, Dick was left speechless. It was fair, probably his turn by now. Wally took a tentative step closer, reminded all too vividly of the night of the dance. There was no pillar to trap their bodies together this time. It was open air for miles, and still they were close enough to feel each other breathe. “Dick... you're my best friend. You're _really_ important to me, and putting aside a multitude of fucked up issues I've got on my own, I'm just – I don't want to mess this up, you know? So... maybe it's best if we just...”

Dick's hand was on the back of his neck, and Wally couldn't remember if that had happened first, or if he had his hands on Dick's waist before he'd even finished speaking. It didn't seem to matter. He didn't have time to think of it, because in the next second his senses were all stars and close warmth and bubblegum flavoured lips. It was just a peck, really. Only lasted half a second. Could have been a century.

They both pulled back, eyes dazed and lips parted, hands too comfortable to move. Wally licked his lips, chasing the last taste of Dick's lips. He swallowed hard, trying to find his voice again. Maybe he'd find it in Dick's mouth, or at least that was his last coherent thought before his head swooped down to catch his lips and keep them there. Their milkshakes were knocked over by a sea breeze, pink and gold frozen sludge dripping down the stone wall and dissolving forgotten into the water. Wally breathed harshly, as he felt Dick's tongue on his lips. His arms tightened, pulling Dick closer.

Dick's phone buzzed in the back pocket of his jeans.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun on that cliff, I'll leave you hanging there for a few days.


	6. Worms & Birds & Fireworks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this up by the fourth but like – I'm Canadian.

 

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Starry headed, light eyed, and feeling the world flip endlessly beneath their feet, Dick and Wally clung to each other on top of the bayside rampart. The rapid pumping of their heartbeats was lost over the gentle roar of the water on the rocks below. Around them, there was no different between the cargo ships on the water and the stars peeking through the light screen of the city at their backs. Dick had gone from his hand resting on the back of Wally's neck, to both his arms curling at the elbows around his shoulders, caught somewhere between pulling Wally down and pushing himself up. Wally's hands had likewise graduated from Dick's hips to his arms thrown around his waist to pull him closer.

Dick's phone buzzed in his pocket again.

The kiss itself – for all their pining and misunderstanding and angst – was easy. Terrifyingly enough, it was the most natural thing in the world. It moved with their breath, a slow and steady tide. They could have stayed there all night and, honestly, probably would have.

But then Dick's phone buzzed in his pocket _again_ , followed by a series of melodic beeping tones.

Dick huffed in frustration before finally pulling back, freeing one hand to reach down into his pocket while he kept the other arm around Wally's shoulders to keep him there. Wally groaned loud in protest, his head falling into Dick's shoulder and nuzzling into his neck. Dick nudged the shoulder he was currently residing on so he could look at the alert on his phone.

“Way to kill the moment, dude,” Wally grumbled, his voice impeded by Dick's shirt.

“You'll live,” was Dick's reply, just trying to mask how hoarse and uneven his own voice was now. “The tracker I put on that helicopter at the Lex Corp warehouse was just activated.”

“I'm finding it really hard to care right now,” Wally replied. He still refused to take his face out from hiding. His skin was radiating heat, from his cheeks to his neck to the tips of his ears, and he could feel it smoldering into Dick's neck. Dick shivered as he nuzzled closer. Served him right.

“C'mon, this is serious,” Dick rolled his eyes. “If it activated, that means it's either been removed, or it fell off.”

Wally finally pulled his head back. “Shouldn't that be a problem?”

Dick only grinned. “It means the batarang fell off. The tracker itself is a micro-device that gets left behind.”

Though begrudgingly, Wally nodded along with the idea. “Like a space shuttle and a rocket. Doesn't it give it away if they find a batarang and take it off though?”

“Why would they expect anything? They think they took the tracker off, as far as they're concerned, they're one step ahead.”

“Nice,” Wally paused, then shook his head, trying to get back on track. “Wait- are you seriously suggesting we go after this _right now_?”

Dick nodded. “It's within a hundred mile radius and getting closer. We won't get a better chance, and it's too late to call in the team.”

“But we were,” Wally stammered, the world slowly catching up to him as he looked around them on top of the wall, “y'know, kinda... in the middle of something!”

Figuring that if he didn't move now, he might lose his own resolve and never move again, Dick stepped back and let his arms drop, opting for tugging on Wally's sleeve instead. “Either we go bust these guys and make out again, _or_ we can stay here, keep making out, and have that really awkward conversation about it afterwards.”

Wally stopped all together. “....Avoid that shit entirely?”

Dick nodded. “Hell yeah.”

Jumping off the rampart one by one, Dick grabbed onto Wally's sleeve again and began to pull them back in the direction they came. Wally was complaint, but still couldn't help glancing back over his shoulder at the bay as they left it behind. “Can we at least kiss again when we're done?”

“Maybe,” was Dick's reply as he pulled him around a corner and back onto one of the main streets. “We've got to make a stop around here somewhere – it's a small scale zeta beam port. Bruce had it installed in a few major cities and JLA facilities, but it's not really being used yet. Sort of like it's in the beta phase. A Beta Zeta.”

“A BeZa,” Wally finished for him with a snicker. “And this is important because?”

“Because,” Dick continued as he guided them around another corner. Wally recognized the route as the one they'd taken to the milkshake place. “Instead of having a bunch of cache points with spare uniforms that could be found or destroyed, it means we can have one _major_ cache. Just come on, I'll show you what I mean.”

It was another twenty minutes before they arrived at, as Wally had predicted though he was still somewhat surprised – Saltwater Shakes Co. Dick took him around the back, down a narrow alley that took a sharp turn behind the building. He pushed aside an old dumpster, cringing at the loud screech. A few of the bricks on the wall were slightly off colour, newer, but not enough to warrant much suspicion.

Dick stood in front of the bricks. With a series of light, mechanical clicks, the stone sank back and moved out of the way, revealing a small camera. The same blue light that scanned them at the zeta tubes passed over the both of them, only there was no longer a voice. Instead, a small screen popped up to authenticate them. Made sense, they couldn't exactly announce themselves to passersby on the street. A slot beneath the bricks opened up, and in a swirl of florescent light, two neatly folded uniforms appeared in the compartment. The symbols of Kid Flash and Robin stared up at them. Dick and Wally shared a glance, a slight grin, before taking their uniforms.

Following the map on Dick's wrist computer, they soon found themselves traveling via speedster piggy back toward Gotham North. From where they had been on the south side of the city, they passed the Academy and the pearly suburbs, skirting around the downtown core. Dick was almost afraid that they'd be taken toward Crime Ally and the gritty underground of the city, but the tracker took a right down toward the harbour. Thought they weren't quite in the thick of the city, they were still close enough that Dick's fear turned from getting in too deep, to getting caught by Batman, no doubt on patrol already. Bruce would kill him if he found out he rigged the computer to get the alert before he did. He already got an hour long lecture when he did the same as the team was searching for Red Tornado last year.

Soon enough, it was close enough to call that the target was going to end up at the water. Dick tapped on Wally's should, giving him enough warning to skid to a stop and let him down. They haulted just above a tall ridge that fell down the the dockyard. Industrial wasteland stretched on in both directions, with two freighter ships loading cargo. The clank of machinery and shipping containers being moved and dropped echoed off the buildings at their backs.

Dick tugged Wally down into a crouch with him, taking cover behind a low cement wall. Taking a pair of binoculars out of his belt, he scanned the dockyard below for any sign of the assassins they'd encountered before.

“Down there,” Dick whispered as he passed the binoculars off to Wally. “It looks like they're using the warehouse as a base.”

Wally peered through the lenses, focusing in on the masked men as they moved crates from a helicopter, parked on the rooftop of the warehouse. He frowned as he passed them back. “Isn't this a little obvious? How has no one seen them?”

“It's Gotham,” Dick replied, “we've seen weirder. People are either not noticing anything out of the ordinary, or don't want to get involved.”

“My guess is the later,” Wally murmured.

Dick brought the binoculars up to his face again, silent for a long moment before pulling them away briskly. “I can't see anything,” he hissed. “At this angle, the other buildings are in the way.” He frowned, pocketing the device as he scanned their surroundings. The industrial wasteland stretched on for a mile in both directions, littered with other docks, shipping crates, and warehouses. When his searching came up fruitless, he turned nudged Wally in the side with his elbow and nodded his head down toward the docks. "Up for a closer look?”

Wally grinned. “Thought you'd never ask.”

“Come on.”

Scaling the drop down to the harbour was the easy part. Using the cover of another warehouse, they propelled down on one of Dick's lines, immediately taking shelter in its shadow. Dick pulled up the location of his tracker on his holocomp. Moving in tandem, they made their way toward the target, hiding behind crates, shipping containers, and the heavy equipment scattered between buildings.

“We just need to get around this corner,” Dick whispered as he pressed their backs up against a stack of wooden palettes. His eyes were glued to the holographic map, scanning for secluded entrances into the warehouse. Wally watched from over his shoulder, but otherwise didn't pay as much attention to it, his attention sweeping the area around them. “Then there's a side entrance that should-”

Dick had already been moving to crawl out. His eyes were on the map, scrolling through information, eager to get moving and get this done with so they could return to their previous activities. Wally saw the movement, just a shift, and instantly pulled Dick back, pinning him to the palettes with a hand over his mouth to stifle the inevitable noise of surprise.

A trio of masked assassins walked past them within seconds. Their shadows fell over them, passing in a line, while they continued on oblivious. Wally watched them over his shoulder until they were out of sight. When he looked back down at Dick, he could see the daze in his eyes, even through the white lenses of the mask. Wally offered a breathless smile, becoming aware of just how close their bodies were. “Distracted?” he whispered.

Dick shook himself from his stupor. “Shut up,” he grumbled.

Taking extra care of move out of sight this time, the two young heroes made a quick entrance into the warehouse, instantly taking cover behind – who could guess – a stack of crates. Inside the warehouse was an entirely different scene than outside at the docks. While the harbour had been littered with vagrant creatures, whatever they were, going about their duties, in there it looked more akin to a beehive or a city. Each drone was indestinguishable from the other, each wearing the same full uniform covering their bodies and the same mask. Their round, brass rimmed masks were even more detailed at this close proximity, decorated with what Dick and Wally could have sworn looked like beaks.

“Holy shit,” Wally whispered.

“No shit,” Dick replied. If they were caught inside there, no matter how good they thought they were, they were as good as dead. They shared a quick glance, nodding to each other in understanding and resolve before crawling along the floor to go deeper inside.

Making their way silently along the edge of the building, the duo stopped frequently to avoid being spotted. It was a rocky star with many near misses, but within several painstaking minutes, they began to work in a silent synchronization. As they approached the far end of the warehouse, they exited the cavernous storage space and found themselves soon after in a series of industrial halls. Without anywhere to hide, they hurried down the nearest corridor and through the first door that came up. So far, so good, but they weren't willing to push their luck. Dick crouched below the window on the top half of the door, reaching up to lock it. A dead bolt wouldn't stop anyone hell bent on killing them, but it would buy time. Lowering the blinds, they finally stood up, and found themselves in what looked to be a lab.

It was hardly a state of the art laboratory. Of course not, it was built in the back-halls of a 40 year old warehouse. However, what they lacked in design and equipment, they seemed to make up for in subjects. Each examination table was covered in containers holding various – things was the only way to describe the experiments held inside. From specimens of unidentifiable flesh to bubbling concoctions to distorted creatures, the laboratory was a display room of grotesque creations all glowing eerily under one florescent, flickering light.

Dick and Wally, with another understanding glance, nodded to each other, and split up. They each took an aisle, creeping down through the rows of tables to scout out just what the hell was going on here. All the while, the noises and dim voices from outside kept them on edge, the buzz and flickering of the florescent light bulb hanging from the centre of the room casting too many uneasy shadows on the walls.

“This is some Frankenstein stuff,” Wally murmured as he peered through the glass of a container holding what he could only describe as a sub-par chunk of G-gnome. Maybe an arm. “Dude, I swear it just waved at me.”

“Well, don't be rude, wave back,” Dick rolled his eyes from beneath his mask. Wally couldn't see it from his vantage point, but he could _hear_ the eye roll in his tone. Just like he could hear the sudden hitch and urgency in his voice when he spoke neck. “Wally! Come here, this is it!” he whispered harshly.

Struggling not to use too much speed, Wally was at Dick's side in half a second. In the other part of the room, in a higher quality table – new, Wally noted – was a container smaller than the others. In fact, it looked more like a mason jar than a high tech containment unit. In all honestly, if it had been Wally, he probably would have looked it over entirely and moved on, but Dick seemed fixated on it. “What?”

Dick reached out to touch the glass, his gloved fingers hovering over the jar before pulling back in second thought. “This is what was stolen from Cadmus last month.”

Wally's eyes blew wide, darting between his partner and the jar. “Are you sure?”

“ _Yes_ I'm sure! Do you think I'm just throwing a wild guess out there?” Dick hissed. “I remember that they had taken a small jar out of the crate when I found them. These are the same assassins. It _has_ to be the same thing.” Entirely unassuming, it had every appearance of a child’s science project. Inside the little glass jar, was a little white worm. The tiny creature lifted its body up to the intruders, but was otherwise entirely harmless and indistinguishable from a garden variety caterpillar.

“Well come on, let's take it and get the hell out of here!” Wally whispered as he reached for the jar.

Dick slapped his hand away. “Wait!” he seethed. “It could be alarmed or booby-trapped for all we know! We should leave it.”

“But,” Wally sputtered, “it's right _there_!”

“I can _see_ that, just-” Dick glanced around the room, zeroing in on a group of computers on the far end, “just come on.”

Crossing the room, Dick took a seat at one of the monitors, with Wally hovering behind him, a hand on the back of the chair as he leaned around him to see. Dick pulled a usb cord from his glove, plugging it into the monolith of a hard drive. “We can see about disabling the alarm system from here, and pick up any other info we come across.”

Wally nodded. “Good thinking,” he replied. “I'll watch your back.”

The air was tense, but for once, it wasn't between _them_. It was in the noise around them, penetrating the walls in ominous whispers and clangs. The two of them were oddly comfortable, holding their breath in fear of getting caught, but leaning easily into one another when one moved, or the other shifted. It was almost thrilling.

The tapping of Dick's fingers on the keyboard could have been a mouse in the walls for anyone outside new. He held back a sharp intake of breath when he came across a file. “Wally,” Dick muttered to get his attention. “Look at these formulas. Can you make anything out of it?”

With his arm still perched on the back of the chair, Wally leaned foreward, ignoring the tight coil in his stomach at the proximity. He frowned as his eyes scanned over the screen, taking in the messy formulas and molecular diagrams. “It looks like the components of the fear toxin that they were bulk ordering,” he mused. “But there are multiple plans here,” he said as he pointed to a separate window. “This looks like a diluted solid form.”

“The drug that's been popping up around the country,” Dick interjected.

“Yeah,” Wally nodded, “says here they're... circulating it as an _experiment_.”

Dick's eyes widened beneath his mask. “Like the largest testing ground ever. The dealers see how the teens are reacting to it and reporting back to these freaks for data.”

Wally clenched his teeth. “That's not all. From what I can tell, they're trying to figure out a way of using Cadmus' G-gnomes to organically produce the toxin and inject it into their victims, like some hallucinogen venom.”

Dick sat back heavily in the chair. “Shit... what are they planning?”

“Dunno. But dude,” Wally grimaced, “this is _big_. We've gotta get this to the league.”

Nodding grimly, Dick shifted forward again and began to tap away at the keyboard. “I'm going to download all of this and then disable the alarm,” he huffed. Dick's face twitched slightly in discomfort, but he shook it off and kept going. “If we can get this to Batman by the end of the night, we can launch a full investigation.”

Wally frowned, head turning back over his shoulder. “Do you smell smoke?”

Dick nodded. “Must be the equipment outside,” he shrugged it off. “Whatever the hell is going on here, we can't do anything until we know _who_ these people are. This is organized more elegantly than anything I've ever seen, it's, completely underground, but they seem to be centered in Gotha- ow, ow, ow, shit!”

Dick jumped back from the computers. The glove on his left hand began to spark and smoke out of control, forcing Dick to rip it off. Angry red burn marks scorched over his wrist, nothing too serious but nonetheless painful. Wally was quick to react, helping Dick pull the glove off, and stomping on it to put out the sparks and spouts of flame.

Dick glared back at the computer, cradling his wrist. “Safeguard,” he seethed. “They're certainly not taking any risks here.” Gaze catching something on the screen, Dick leaned forward, a little more wary this time, only to step back urgently half a second later. “Shit, it triggered a silent alarm!” Dick grabbed his burnt glove off the floor, ripping the cord out of the computer. Turning around, he began to run across the room, toward the worm stolen from Cadmus. He didn't make it more than four steps before he was intercepted.

Wally grabbed onto Dick's right arm, tugging him toward the nearest door. “We've gotta get out of here!”

“But the worm! We already set off the alarm, we have to grab it before-”

“Sorry dude, no time!” Sensing that an argument was about to come on, Wally bent down and wrapped his arms around Dick's legs, straightening up and throwing him over his shoulder with ease. He had absolutely no desire to get brutally murdered tonight. Bracing one step back, Wally started running. They probably had thirty seconds before the assassins made it to the lab – he'd get them out and hidden in ten. Bursting through the door, the world around him slowed down, allowing him to glance around corners and through windows to see where the enemies were coming from. It took a few close calls, in his perspective, and wrong turns, but he eventually took them back out to the docks. He took the first hiding spot in sight, not really paying attention so much as to what it was, just that it had a door, there were no goons trying to kill them, and the room beyond was empty. Skidding to a stop inside, Wally deposited Dick before turning and pulling the heavy metal doors shut. The two of them were instantly engulfed in total darkness.

Dazed and confused, Dick stumbled as he was let down. “Wally?” he coughed into the dark, his voice on edge.

“Right here,” Wally reached out to carefully tap Dick on the arm, not wanting to scare him. He forgot sometimes that when he carried people at his speed, it felt like a blink and a whir of colours, their lungs unable to keep up with the vacuum of air around them. “We're safe – for now at least. I brought us outside and found a place to hide.”

Catching his breath after a few moments, Dick stepped closer to Wally. He reached into his utility belt, having memorized each pouch, and pulled out a palm sized device. With a click, the device burst into a dim light, fading from white to gold as it radiated from Dick's palm and onto their surroundings. Dick tossed it onto the ground, turning around in a circle as he took in the space. “Wally...”

Blinking to adjust his eyes to the light, Wally looked back at his friend. “Yeah?”

“Did you put us in a shipping container?”

Wally shrugged. “I guess I did. Why?”

“A shipping container,” Dick repeated as he turned back to the other hero. “Currently at a warehouse. At a dock. On the harbour. Where a big freighter ship is being loaded with said shipping containers?”

Wally scoffed. “Yeah, but what are the chances that-”

The container rocked violently. Dick and Wally were thrown to the ground, hitting the steel floor with barely muffled shouts. They rolled and tumbled, unable to get footing as the container was lifted and carried away. Light flashed as the pocket lantern bounced around against the walls, their shadows changing directions in a disorienting show. The mechanical screeches and moans of the crane outside overpowered their voices. Then, after what felt like an eternity of chaotic movement, the crane lowered them on the deck of the freighter, and with one bang and thud, they came to a hault.

In the aftermath, laying on their backs on the floor and groaning, Dick turned his head to the side to glare at Wally. “As a guy who has literally been struck by lightning, you've got no right to talk about _chance_.”

“Noted,” Wally moaned as he finally rolled over and picked himself up. He extended his hand to Dick, hauling him up to his feet. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Dick replied as he rolled his shoulder. “You?”

“Pride's a little bruised, but that's nothing new.”

Dick couldn't help laughing at that – and he _really_ didn't want to. They were stuck in a shipping container on a freighter about to head off to who new where, surrounded by creepy undead assassin things that probably wanted nothing more than to rip them apart. Objectively, nothing here was funny, but then there was _Wally_ with his light hearted humour. He really had no chance. Shaking his head, Dick made his way over to the door of the container, trying to peak out through the cracks. No luck. He couldn't see anything but the deck's flood lights. “Feeling up for a trip to Timbuktu?”

“Y'know, I would but I don't think I can fit it into my schedule,” Wally shrugged. “I've got a dentist appointment this week.”

Dick laughed again. With a sigh, he turned, back against the wall as he slid down to the floor.

Wally soon joined him, dropping himself down at his side, one arm draped over a bent knee. “So,” Wally said as he let his head fall back against the wall. “Got any bright ideas?”

“What makes you think I always have a plan?” Dick grumbled.

“Uh, because you always _do_?”

Dick made a face, elbowing him in the side. “Well... I don't think just walking out and climbing off the boat is going to go well.”

“Y'don't say.”

Dick elbowed him again. “Shut up,” he rolled his eyes. “The way I see it, the only way we're getting out of here is if we wait until the ship's started moving. We'll bust out, make some kind of distraction, and then jump off the side. That way none of the cronies at the docks can come in as reinforcement.”

“Sounds insane,” Wally said. “I'm in.”

Dick smirked. “I figured.”

The only problem now was the wait. Sitting in totally silence and only marginal light, side by side with not another sole in sight may have elicited just a _bit_ of awkwardness between them. There was no doubt of what was going through each boy's mind; memories of the school dance, their botched mission, the _rampart._ All the while, the limited space between them was electric. By the time they heard the ship's horn blow, and a slight jolt as the motors began to run, only about five minutes had passed. Dick groaned, dramatically tipping over and falling onto his side. It was going to be a long wait.

At that point, Wally couldn't sit still anymore. The temptation to just kiss the life out of the boy next to him was overbearing, but neither of them seemed to have the courage to start. Probably for the best anyway. This wasn't exactly an ideal situation. At the same time though, pretending that nothing was happening was only driving him insane. Pushing himself up off the floor, he began to pace along the spacious container.

“It must be a small shipment,” Wally commented after another few minutes.

Dick perked up, finally sitting upright again. “Huh?”

“Well, they put an empty container on the ship,” Wally mused, speaking slowly as if still working out his own thoughts. “So... case of probability, there are probably more empty containers on this thing. Maybe even most of them. They'd only do that if they were trying to transport something small, but didn't want to draw attention to it. Sort of like hiding it in plain sight.”

“Kinda like how they ordered all of those ingredients through Lex corp and then only took one box of each component,” Dick nodded. “All I'm really getting from this is that these guys aren't complete morons.”

“And that they're taking their time. Who knows how long they've been operating?”

Dick huffed in frustration. “Yeah, but all of this doesn't mean anything unless we know who they are and what they want.”

“Whoever or whatever they are,” Wally replied. “I don't think this is the last we'll hear from them.”

Dick grunted as he pushed himself up to his feet, turning to peer through the crack in the door again. “But it's the last I want to hear from them tonight,” he said as he looked back to Wally. “You ready?”

Wally nodded. “Ready.”

They took a collective breath, steeling themselves, getting in sink. On the out breath, Dick took an explosive out of his utility belt and walked over to the opposite side of the container to place it on the wall. Upon activation, one little red light began to blink faster and faster. Dick ran back to the other side, grabbing Wally and pulling him into the corner with him. Wally complied, crouching down as they used Dick's cape as a heat resistant shield.

“Uh, dude,” Wally whispered. “You know we're not actually locked in here, right? We can literally just open the door, it's right behind us.”

Dick snickered under his breath. “Yeah, that's why we're going to go out through the door. The explosion is just to make them run to the other side.”

Wally grinned. “Sweet.”

They braced themselves. In one blast, the container shook, the controlled explosive blowing out the other side of the container, while Dick and Wally pushed the door open and jumped out. They escaped just in time for the container to rock sideways and fall off the other container it had been sitting on, starting a domino effect of metalic shrieks and clangs. The distraction worked for a while, with the masked assassins flooding torward the blast rather than the side the door had opened on. Dick and Wally hid between two upright containers, watching them flood past. They couldn't stay in there forever though, so with a nod to each other, they jumped out.

Wally rammed into the first goon he saw, knocking him into three others like bowling pins. Dick, meanwhile, took the literal high ground, jumping on top of the container to disarm two assassins of their weapons – a sai and a rifle. They were certainly eclectic in their tastes. Dick grabbed the sai, lashing out to slice into the shoulder of one of his attackers, just enough to disable him from fighting. What he didn't expect was that, instead of blood, black sludge dripped from the wound, traveling down the assassin's arm before seeming to shudder and shrink back into his body. Easy to forget that they weren't human, but this was just getting grotesque. Dick threw the sai away, opting instead for kicking him down off the container before he got the chance to counter attack.

Wally shouted down below. Dick looked down to find the speedster in a loosing combat against four other assassins. He'd gotten his arms pinned behind him, and despite his desperate kicking, one of the masked creatures had a sword trained on his neck. Wally was clearly panicking, unable to think clearly enough to get himself out of the hold. It was one of his weaknesses – his skill wasn't in close combat.

“Wally!” Dick shouted down to him. “School dance!”

Hearing Dick's voice, Wally's head cleared for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he absorbed Dick's true meaning, and stilled just long enough to get his feet on the ground. As the sword came down, Wally kicked up, managing to flip backwards and supplex his captor. The sword landed in the creature's back with a gut churning crunch. As Wally landed, the grip loosened and he was freed, confident, clear headed, and pissed off enough to take out the other three surrounding assassins. It was as he was coming down from a jump kick that something flew toward him through the air. He reached out to catch it, recognizing Dick's grappling gun the moment he felt its weight in his hands.

There were no real words needed between them after that. Wally knew what to do. He shot the grappling gun at the ship's crane, the hook wrapping around and latching on. The cable pulled him up, yanking him off the ground and over the deck. As he rose, he passed the container where Dick was currently in a fist fight with another goon. Wally kicked the creature in the face, his neck snapping back. Dick jumped, and Wally caught him, arm around his waist.

Dick latched onto Wally with an arm around his neck in return. The other arm reached down into his belt, pulling out several higher grade explosives. As they soared over the edge of the deck, dodging bullets with their breaths haulted in their lungs, Dick turned back and tossed the explosives down onto the deck.

The blast launched them into the water. Wally lost his grip on the grappling gun, their grips on each other likewise forced apart. With barely enough time to stop shouting and take a deep breath, they landed in the cold waters of Gotham Harbour, tossed by the waves on impact and struggling to make it up to the surface.

Wally emerged first, gasping for air and shaking the soaked hair from his eyes. He tread in the water, spinning around in search of his partner. “Di- Robin?” he shouted. “Robin!”

The other boy surged forth a few feet away from him, struggling to stay afloat. He kicked and coughed and fought the water, and Wally took a few seconds too long to figure out that his cape was dragging him down. Wally swam over to him, fumbling with the clasps for a moment before he managed to get the cape off. The fabric sank down into the bottom of the harbour. There was no time for thank you's or are you alright's. The two heroes kicked toward the shore, tirelessly swimming away from the burning freighter.

Far from the docks at this point, they came up on a stony beach, pushed up by the tide that had only hours ago seemed so much more calm and appealing. Crawling up through the white caps lapping at the shore, they coughed the water from their lungs.

Wally pulled himself up a bit further before finally stopping. He turned over, braced up on his hands as he looked out over the harbour to watch the burning freighter. A few emergency boats were already making their way out toward the scene, but the ship continued to glow, fire reflecting onto the dark waters of the bay. Explosions shot out from the wreckage, with trails of flame soaring through the air before bursting. Sort of fitting. It was long after midnight on the fourth now.

It almost looked like fireworks.

Watching their mishap burn miles out, Wally slowly turned his head toward Dick only to find that Dick had done the same. Dick reached up, pulling at the edges of his mask to slip it off. His face glowed with flashes of gold and red, the light reflecting in his eyes – they were reaching for each other quick as a heartbeat. Wally's fingers found their way into Dick's hair, and Dick's arms were around his neck again, still riding the adrenaline high as they kissed on the harbour.

The high pitched whistle piercing through the air didn't interrupt them until something landed at their feet. Dick and Wally parted with a start, scrambling back in expectation of a bomb or something equally deadly. What they found instead was something thin and white. Dick squinted down at it warily.

“It... looks like an owl feather,” he mused, still dizzy and breathless.

Wally reached down and tentatively plucked it out of the course sand. He turned the feather between his fingers, frowning a moment before turning to Dick with a grin. “Souvenir?”

Laughter bubbled up from Dick's chest as he shook his head and gave Wally a playful shove. “Come on, we should get out of here.”

Hauling themselves to their feet, wet, freezing and physically miserable, neither could seem to wipe the stupid grins from their faces. They laughed and said nothing, hearts threatening to burst from their chests, and all of the cheesy romantic cliches they'd wanted for so long but been to stupid to reach for.

This, of course, only lasted until they made it up over the rocks lining the shore and onto a suburban street. Under a street lamp, the petrifying silhouette of Batman stood waiting for them, arms cross. His eyes narrowed beneath his cowl as the boys came to a hault.

“You'd better not be making this,” he gestured out to the burning wreckage, “an annual tradition.”

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When the coast guard made it out to the freighter to put out the fire, there was no one on it. Just burning goods and piles of black sludge. They checked the hull, the control deck, even the lower levels. Not a single living soul was left on the ship. They'd spent hours searching the waters of the harbour, bringing out search and rescue helicopters thinking that the crew might have jumped but there was _nothing_. The next morning, they came to the conclusion that it was an act of arson. Someone _must_ have set the ship on a course and then rigged it with explosives once it got further out into the bay. Whoever it was would be caught, the police commissioner had said in a statement, and punished accordingly.

Dick read it from his phone when he woke up the next morning, sore as hell and still feeling the chill of the water in his bones, and laughed. Bruce, on the other hand, didn't find it as funny. After an hour long lecture about going off on his own, not calling for him, being so _reckless_ and _stupid_ , he'd claimed to have “half a mind not to let you go to the League's Fourth of July event.” Dick had only gotten off the hook by reminding Bruce that he'd still gotten a huge lead on what exactly what was happening with the fear toxin. Besides, it was technically Conner's first birthday. He couldn't miss that. The poor baby would be heartbroken.

While Bruce hadn't appreciated the sass, Dick found himself at Happy Harbour later that afternoon. Stepping out out of zeta tube as the light faded behind him, he gave a mock salute to Bruce before heading off toward the living quarters. He couldn't see the man roll his eyes beneath his own sunglasses, but he could _feel_ it.

Predictably, when he headed down the corridor and into the kitchen, Dick found the place decked out in stars and stripes and everything red, white, and blue. Hell, he had to duck though a walls of streamers hanging in the doorway just to get in. “Feeling festive, M'gann?” he laughed.

M'gann stuck her tongue out at him from where she stood at the kitchen counter, taking a batch of cookies off the tray and arranging them on a plate. “I missed this holiday last year, so I wanted to go all out! Besides, the whole League is here, _and_ it's Conner's birthday!” Reaching into the bowl beside her, she took a chunk of cookie dough and flicked it at him. “Sue me if I wanted to go all out.” Dick laughed as the dough bounced off his forehead, eliciting the same reaction from M'gann. “Y'know, when I did that to Wally earlier, he caught it in his mouth.”

Dick expression shifted. “Wally? Is, uh, is he here? Where is he?”

Shooting him a side eye, M'gann went back to platting her cookies. “Yeah, he was in here just about an hour ago. Don't know where he went, but he's gotta be around here somewhere. Hey, if you're going to go looking for him,” he said as she finished off and passed him the plate, “can you bring these outside? There's a food table with snacks and stuff to tide us over until the barbeque. Superman brought his mother's potato salad and coleslaw, you _have_ to try it.”

Dick took the plate, finding it a little heavier than expected. “Can do. See ya later.”

Treats in hand, Dick dutifully carried them out of the mountain. A door that lead outside from that level opened up onto a small cliff, with a well worn path down to the beach. It was generally considered by the League to be the safest exit to walk out, because it was facing away from the town and lead into a grove of trees before the beach. Today, it was studded with Tiki torches to keep mosquitoes away.

Making his way down the path, Dick soon found himself on the edge of the beach. In the grassy area, plastic fold out chairs and tables had been arranged for seating, with the grill on the other side of the clearing. Dick could already see Leaguers gathering, with Jon Stewart and Clark at the grill, talking over a beer. It looked like Icon had been roped into watching Amistad for a while. Sitting at one of the plastic chairs (which was comically too small for him), he had the baby on his knee, while Dinah knelt down and cooed at him, and Oliver grew more and more nervous behind her.

It was so _weird_ seeing all of these heroes out of uniform. At one point or another, Dick had met them all in their civilian identities. They'd either been at the manor, or the cave, or some other discreet location. However, seeing them all there at the same time, they all looked so – _normal_. Even someone passing them by on fishing boat, or wandering off from the town wouldn't have suspected a thing. It was refreshing. Weird, but refreshing.

Dick deposited the cookie plate on the snack table, swiping one of the treats for himself as he made his way out toward the beach. There, he found most of his team makes in their swimsuits, currently engaged in a viscous volleyball match. Zatanna, Roy, and Raquel versus Artemis, Kaldur, and Conner. Dick waved as he approached, catching Artemis' attention first.

“Hey, Robin! Heads up!” she called as she served the ball in his direction.

Dick quickly shoved the cookie into his mouth (snickerdoodle, _nice_ ) so he could jump up and hit the ball back. It landed in the sand on Zatanna, Roy, and Raquel's side.

“Foul!” Roy called. “Doesn't count, he's not playing!”

Artemis cocked her hips, arms crossed. “He is now! Conner, sorry, you're being benched.”

Conner frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Sorry, I'm gonna have to pass,” Dick laughed. “I'm actually looking for Wally. Any of you seen him?”

A knowing smirk tugged at Zatanna's lips. She ducked under the net to cross over to him, ignoring Roy and Raquel's shouts of “traitor!” at her. Stopping next to Artemis, the two girls exchanged a glance, hardly able to keep their amusement in. “Not sure,” Zatanna replied. “He was around here a while ago, but I don't know where he wandered off to.”

“Why are you looking for him, anyway?” Artemis questioned. “Anything you wanted to talk to him about?”

“He did say earlier that he was looking for you, too,” Zatanna continued in mock surprise. “You don't suppose it could be about the same thing?”

Dick's expression was entirely deadpanned, staring up at the girls in exasperation. “You're enjoying this, aren't you?”

“Yeah,” they chimed at the same time.

Artemis laughed, stepping forward to sling an arm around Dick's shoulders. “Just relax, _Robin_ ,” she said, drawing out the name like she couldn't get any more obvious. “Hang out with us, and he'll turn up. If you two run around looking for each other, you're only going to pass each other by.”

There was truth in that that cut just a little deeper than it was meant to. Dick laughed it off. “Alright, alright.”

So, he stayed with the rest of the team for about an hour. He played in rotation with Artemis' team, until M'gann came down to finally join them, and made the teams even. The constant movement, concentration, and – hell just ordinary _fun_ of playing beach volley ball with his friends was the distraction he needed, but it wasn't quite up to the task of containing his anxious energy. Even during the game, he couldn't help glancing over his shoulder every now and then, or scanning the beach searching for red hair and a bright grin. It got him hit in the face with the volleyball only once, but he learned his lesson and focused after that.

After a while, even with Metahumans and Aliens and Atlanteans on the team, everyone agreed that a water break was necessary. They took seats on a few felled logs that had been arranged in a semi circle, no doubt for bon fires and scorching summer afternoons like these. As Dick brought his water bottle down from his lips, listening to the conversation (it was something about Phở and Soul Food and Atlantean cuisine), a shadow fell over him from behind. Before he could turn to see who it was, a basket of Chili Cheese Fries was lowered in front of him.

“I believe I still owe you?”

Dick turned around to find Wally standing over him, blocking out the sun like some ethereal God. He would have forgotten how to speak had he not started laughing immediately. Dick took the basket as Wally stepped around the log and took a seat next to him. “I'm guessing this,” he gestured down to the basket, “is what you've been off doing for the past hour?”

Wally shrugged. “Sue me. I would've run but I _am_ capable of being discreet.”

“Who knew,” Dick smirked as he popped a fry into his mouth. He turned toward the others. “Hey guys, I'm-” but they were already gone. Dick gawked as he found their backs retreating toward the volleyball net again. He could have sworn he saw Artemis give them finger guns. Dick could do nothing but laugh incredulously, looking down at the fries in his lap before taking a deep breath and looking up at Wally. “We should probably talk, huh?”

Wally nodded, shifting nervously. “Maybe.”

There was no chance of getting any privacy on the beach or anywhere inside Mount Justice. The place was overflowing with heroes in their civvies, and for obvious reasons, they didn't want their conversation overheard by nosy adults. So, that left just about one place they could go. The top of the mountain. To be fair, it wasn't _really_ a mountain, just an abnormally large hill jutting out into the Atlantic. So, it didn't take too long to walk up to the top, following well traveled paths up to the summit. In all, it probably only took them half an hour, passed mostly in silence, but with moments of banter as Wally stole fries, and Dick threatened to push him down the not-mountain. By the time they made it to the top, a sharp cliff jutting out over the steeper side looking down over the ocean, they were comfortable. Nervous, but the fact alone that they both knew what was coming and neither had tried to make a run for it was a reassurance.

Dick sat down on the edge, letting his legs dangle over the side of the cliff. Wally did the same, rolling his eyes with a laugh as Dick placed the Chili Fries between them after all that complaining about his thievery. Wally snatched a fry, waiting for a moment to see if Dick would react, but the other boy just shrugged and chuckled and Wally felt like he might explode. Neither of them were all that willing to start this. That was the hardest part.

Popping the fry into his mouth, Wally leaned back on his hands and looked out over the water. He swallowed, took in a deep breath, then just opened his mouth. “You, uh...” he started, and lost momentum. Dick stared up at him expectantly. Wally cleared his throat. “You asked me the night of the dance what I want from you.”

“Yeah...”

Wally could feel his hands shaking. “Well, I want – more – with you, I mean.”

Dick nodded, mulling over his tentative response. That response then seemed to fly discarded off his tongue as he sat up straighter and turned his whole body toward Wally. With one swift movement, he reached up and took his sunglasses off, shaking his hair before looking back at his companion. “Why don't we just make this easy? Like right now? Wally, I like you. More than a friend. There.”

And there it was. Out in the open, no room for misinterpretation, misunderstanding, but all the room for mistakes. Despite that anxious bubbling in his chest, Wally felt an immense relief from it. “I like you too.”

“Okay,” Dick's smile was punched out of him with his breath. “So, what should we do about that?”

“Well,” Wally grunted as he shifted back again, “most people would go on a few dates, see how they like that, and then like – be dating.”

“You wanna do that?”

“Sure,” Wally nodded before his brows knotted together. “Does this count?”

Dick frowned. “We can... keep it tentative and decide later?”

“Works for me.”

Dick laughed, fidgeting with the edge of his t-shirt. “Okay, so let's say we start dating. What kinda – dating stuff are you, I dunno, into?”

Wally thought about his reply for a long moment, but the silence between their words was no longer heavy. They could actually _breathe_ up here. “I just... like spending time with you. Like we normally do, except I guess with coupley stuff thrown in? But not, like, gross coupley, like M'gann and Conner.”

Dick sagged in relief. “Oh, thank God,” he rushed all at once. “So, like junk food and video games but with more kissing.”

“I'm cool with that,” Wally said. His face, though, gradually began to fall as darker thoughts flooded into his mind, sweeping in all of his fears with them. “But... what if we start all of this, and then we realize that maybe it's not what we thought it would be? Or we just don't work out.”

“Why wouldn't we? “ Dick frowned.

Wally groaned under his breath in frustration, struggling to articulate himself. “I don't know! I mean.... I'm really shitty at remembering dates, and I can be an inconsiderate asshole, and generally obnoxious.”

Dick reached up to rub his hand over the back of his neck. “And I get too obsessed with 'work' and just generally ignore my problems or try to beat them out on criminals,” he admitted in turn. “Well, I'd say we'd just go back to being friends again, but – I guess stuff like that is easier said than done.”

“Contingency plan?”

Dick nodded. “So, let's say in theory it just doesn't work out. If that were to happen... let's say, we get two weeks to cool down, and then we talk it out – can't really predict exactly what it'll be like – but we'll promise to work it out. It won't interfere with the team, or with anything else, and we'll just agree to let it go.”

The idea of having a net to fall back on made taking this jump a lot easier. Still though, Wally felt a hesitation in his chest like a hook on his rib cage anchored into the edge of this cliff, holding him back. “That would be like – plan Z, though. Every other plan in between should be us just... working it out. I don't want to fuck this up or give in too easily at the first sign of trouble. I kinda like this...” he gestured between them, “new thing, y'know?”

“Is it really all that new, though?” Dick ducked his head with an unsure smile.

Wally laughed under his breath. “Probably not.” It really wasn't, too. This had been lurking beneath the surface of their relationship for so long now he couldn't really remember when it had started. It had evolved from jokes, to contact, to tension, and Wally for the life of him couldn't track it all. Even their friends had noticed – maybe especially them. The thought brought another concern to mind, one that dampened his nervous excitement. Wally breathed in the humid sea air, letting it fill his lungs before letting it all out in one shuddered exhale. “Hey, um.... can we keep this between us for now? Or at least between friends.” Wally ran his hand back through is hair, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He started down at his sneakers, dangling carelessly over the drop down the cliff. “It's just... y'know. My dad.”

Dick's expression softened. “Yeah... yeah, of course.” He shifted a little closer to Wally's side, their shoulders brushing. “Listen, Wally, I'm really sorry. I was so _impatient_ with you about all of this. I couldn't understand why it was so hard for you to just come out. I'm lucky, Bruce doesn't care about,” he paused, taking a breath, “being gay. He knows, and he accepts it and moves on. Doesn't treat me any differently. I just... I guess it was too easy to forget that not everyone has that.”

Wally nodded, mouth tightening as he closed his eyes and breathed out through his nose. “I just don't know how he'd react. I don't want to know. Not yet, at least. I'm not ashamed of any of this, I don't want you to think that, I'm just not ready to cross that bridge.”

“I get it,” Dick said. He nudged him lightly with his shoulder. “Don't worry about it. No pressure. Honestly, I'm fine with just this.”

Wally glanced up at Dick, caught in his gaze, _trapped_ there by the sunset in his irises and the complete patience and understanding swimming there. He was gone. He'd been an idiot for so long, and had somehow come out of it feeling like the luckiest sap on the planet. With a sigh – and he noticed how, through this whole ordeal ever since Cadmus triggered the domino effect that lead them here – how breathing was always such a conscious thing between them. Whether they sighed, or held it, or couldn't find their breath at all, the most natural thing in the universe was always a subject when he was around Dick. Dick took his breath, and Wally took his, an equal exchange. Wally smiled to himself at the thought as he sat upright again. “So, I guess that makes it official, huh? You're my... boooyyy? Dude? Guy? Guy pal, er-”

“Boyfriend,” Dick finished. “Boyfriend is fine.”

Wally laughed, recoiling like a child who'd just learned about cooties. “This is so weird.”

“Well,” Dick shrugged. “So are we.”

“Fitting, then,” Wally said. “Boyfriends.”

He should have gone for the kiss. They both should have, it was the obvious deal sealer. Wally should have kissed him, but he raised his fist instead, a reflex from how they'd always finished promised in the past. Dick looked between him and his fist, before laughing, rolling his eyes like he did so often around him, and raising his hand. They fist bumped, fingers mimicking explosions on reflex. And that was it. The worst over with. Dick and Wally dissolved into semi embarrassed semi nervous laughter, until Dick ducked his head and let it fall against Wally's shoulder. Wally's arm came up around his shoulder to pull him closer.

Yeah. This felt good. Right.

The sun was starting to dip down behind the harbour. The pastel colours over the water began to burn up into darker, vivid reds and oranges and magentas as the sky behind them bled violet. Wally allowed himself to stop thinking. He let his thumb trace circles on Dick's shoulder, let his head rest on top of his, let himself want this. Bonfires began to glow on the beach below them, the League gathering on the beach.

“We should probably go down at some point, huh?” Dick murmured.

Wally sighed. “Yeah...”

Though reluctantly, the two of them made the trek down the mountain, rounding down through the trails and to the beach. No one really seemed to have noticed that they were gone with all of the chaotic goings on. It was better that way. No one said a word or noticed anything out of the ordinary when they emerged onto the beach holding hands.

There was still an hour or so before it got dark out. As the sun continued to dip down, Dick and Wally joined their teammates in the water, tossing their shirts off and running in full force in their swim trunks. They'd entered into a full out battlefield of a splash war. Kaldur, surprisingly enough, was losing, a fact they didn't fail for a second to tease him down. Things simmered down a little bit when Raquel brought Amistad into the shallows, letting the tide wash up at his little feet. Kaldur, admitting his defeat, dedicated his time to making little figures out of the water jump out and dance around him. The presence of the baby didn't stop Wally from swimming up under Dick, though, and throwing him into the deeper waters. Dick surged up seconds later to drag that bastard down with him.

Then it was dinner time. And then s'mores for desert. An all around, average every day _normal_ beach party. Like some weird, eclectic family dinner. There was a general peace in the air, a belonging that spoke of the fact that in their own ways, most heroes there had believed for so long that they'd never have something like this. The Justice League was far from a family, but for one day, that was put aside.

Finally, it was time for the fireworks. The League began to set up lawn chairs, towels, and blankets along the beach. Wally had brought a beach bag with his own towel and other supplies (read: snacks and a _lot_ of sunscreen) along with him. Tugging Dick to a clear spot in the sand, the two of them set up, with M'gann and Conner on one side of them a few feet away, and the others scattered on their own towels. The barge carrying Happy Harbour's fireworks floated out into the sea, a dark speck on the water. Everyone watched with bated breath as the first few fireworks blasted up into the sky in flashes of gold and blue.

They were only two minutes in when Wally perked up where he sat next to Dick, cross legged on their towel. “Dude! I almost forgot something.”

Dick looked back at him, but Wally had turned his back to him to search through his back. “What?”

Wally didn't answer. Sitting up again, he turned around to face Dick with a grin. In his hand was a thin pink box, and between his teeth, a stick of strawberry flavoured pocky. Wally raised his eyebrows, arms open in invitation. Dick nearly snorted in laughter. With a teasing smirk, he reached out and plucked the pocky from between his teeth, free hand coming up to cup his boyfriend's face and guide him in for a kiss. When he pulled back, Dick grinned and took a large bite out of the stick.

Wally blinked, caught somewhere between mildly offended and in love. “I don't think you understand how this game works.”

“I understand the game perfectly,” Dick shrugged as he finished off the treat. “You just lose. Game over.”

With a mock roar, Wally reached out and pulled Dick against him, holding him mercilessly captive as he kissed him senseless in revenge. Dick laughed between kisses, and as his arms grew tired of pretending to fight against him, they settled around Wally's shoulders. They kissed freely and without reservation, in the middle of a crowded beach. It didn't really matter anyway. No one would notice. Everyone had their eyes on the sky, watching the fireworks burst.

Dick and Wally? They had enough of explosions for a while. They'd make their own fireworks.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all folks!
> 
> While this is a wrap on Fireworks in July, this isn't the end for Watercolour! I'm going to be taking a wee bit of a break to recover from this beast, but new one shots will be coming soon. I have a lot planned for Dick and Wally. And that worm thing? Weird. I wonder if that'll ever come back. Who knows. Certainly not I. 
> 
> If you're interested in following me on tumblr, you can find me on my personal at mmfgn.co.vu. Or you can follow me on my Dick Grayson rp blog where I've been a little more active recently, at birdb0w0onder.tumblr.com!
> 
> On a final note, thank you. In all seriousness, I'm so happy with the outcome of this, and I'm thrilled with the response you guys have had to it. Please let me know what you think of the ending. Your comments honestly keep me writing, every kind word makes me all kinds of fuzzy inside.
> 
> Until next time.


End file.
